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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: file · pop · mate · drill · staff · pound · straw · chip

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chip — for betting
  3. file — a tool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pop — soda
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a document
  11. drill — army training
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. staff — a stick
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pound — a weight
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pop — music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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