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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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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: chip · staff · present · wind · field · rash · club · snap

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — a series
  6. field — for sport
  7. club — a group
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. staff — employees
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to click
  13. club — for golf
  14. field — a subject
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — to eat
  17. present — there
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — farmland
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rash — on the skin

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