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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 120 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: bass · fine · key · chip · bat · lash · tear · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fine — all right
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chip — for betting
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. staff — employees
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. key — in music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bass — low music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bat — the animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bat — in an idiom

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