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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mate — to breed
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. staff — a stick
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — to eat
  14. band — a music group
  15. mate — a partner
  16. band — a ring
  17. staff — employees
  18. mate — a friend
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. row — a line
  24. wind — to turn a key

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