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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chair — a leader
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wake — a trail

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