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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. last — final
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — in cards
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — finally
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. current — of water
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hand — help
  17. current — happening now
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. kick — in football
  20. current — electric
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. staff — employees

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