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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ground — a position
  5. club — for golf
  6. staff — employees
  7. roll — a cake
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chip — to eat
  14. roll — a list
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. staff — a stick
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. club — a group

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