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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: staff · sharp · mouse · racket · bay · row · chip · temple

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. staff — a stick
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. staff — employees
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. row — a line
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chip — to eat
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. staff — employees
  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