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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chip — to eat
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. staff — employees
  7. cell — a phone
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — moving air
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chip — for betting
  24. temple — side of the head

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