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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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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: hide · toast · chip · bound · lash · staff · firm · row

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. toast — bread
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. bound — tied together
  6. staff — employees
  7. firm — decided
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. firm — a company
  12. row — a line
  13. bound — obliged
  14. firm — steady
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bound — certain
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chip — to eat
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. row — to paddle

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