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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. staff — a stick
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. staff — employees
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rash — hasty
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. capital — money
  11. bass — low music
  12. rash — a series
  13. root — the cause
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bass — the fish
  16. root — of a plant
  17. capital — a city
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. root — of a word
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — to eat

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