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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: pit · staff · coach · chip · wind · rest · mine · shower

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chip — to eat
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. rest — a break
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pit — a hole
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mine — for digging
  24. shower — rain

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