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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. root — of a word
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. row — a line
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bass — low music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bass — the fish
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. kid — to tease
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chip — to eat
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bound — obliged

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