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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ball — a dance
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. present — a gift
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — hurry
  10. staff — a stick
  11. roll — a cake
  12. staff — employees
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. present — there
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. roll — a list
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chip — for betting
  19. present — the time now
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ball — a great time

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