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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 116 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. charge — in control
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. staff — employees
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. charge — a price
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — a lid
  11. club — a group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — for betting
  18. club — for golf
  19. cap — of ice
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. club — for dancing
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — the season
  24. charge — electricity

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