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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: bass · date · key · object · dip · rash · chip · staff

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. staff — employees
  4. object — an aim
  5. bass — low music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bass — the fish
  10. staff — a stick
  11. key — in music
  12. date — the fruit
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. object — a thing
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rash — a series
  19. staff — employees
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chip — to eat

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