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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. staff — employees
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. craft — boats
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. root — of a plant
  13. chip — for betting
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chip — to eat
  16. roll — a list
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. root — the cause
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. roll — a cake
  23. root — of a word
  24. toast — bread

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