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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chip — for betting
  3. season — in sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chest — a box
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. season — of the year
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. net — after costs
  19. staff — employees
  20. present — the time now
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. kid — child
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. staff — a stick

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