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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — a leader
  4. tube — the underground
  5. staff — employees
  6. bear — the animal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. land — a country
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chip — for betting
  14. face — to confront
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. staff — employees
  18. land — ground
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. land — to come down

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