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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — a skill
  3. face — to confront
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chip — to eat
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. face — to point toward
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tube — a container
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. tear — to rip
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — the underground
  18. craft — boats
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chip — for betting
  24. calf — of the leg

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