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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — for betting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wind — moving air
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. staff — employees
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. staff — employees
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. charge — electricity
  24. staff — a stick

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