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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chip — for betting
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a tool
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. chip — to eat
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. kid — child
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a document
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. nail — for a hammer

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