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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. club — for dancing
  6. staff — employees
  7. chip — for betting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. club — a group
  13. kid — child
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — to tease
  21. firm — decided
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. chip — in a computer

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