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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hand — help
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rock — music
  13. cap — a lid
  14. key — the most important part
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hand — in cards
  22. key — in music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cap — of ice

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