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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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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: object · staff · chip · drill · rush · row · kick · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. spell — letters
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — army training
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spell — magic
  8. object — an aim
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. drill — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. object — to protest
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. spell — a short time
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. object — a thing
  23. rush — hurry
  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