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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chip — for betting
  12. staff — employees
  13. kid — child
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. land — to come down
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com