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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. can — to be able to
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. staff — employees
  5. bore — to tire
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chip — to eat
  15. staff — a stick
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. row — a line
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cap — a hat
  21. staff — employees
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chip — for betting

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