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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · mug · date · staff · saw · foot · stick · chip

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mug — a face
  3. chip — to eat
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. march — music
  6. staff — employees
  7. mug — a cup
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. foot — a measure
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. staff — a stick
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — for betting
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. date — the fruit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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