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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · press · chip · lean · racket · land · march · rule

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. land — ground
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — newspapers
  7. staff — a stick
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rule — a law
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chip — to eat
  12. land — to come down
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. march — music
  15. press — a publisher
  16. march — the month
  17. staff — employees
  18. land — a country
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. march — the month
  21. press — to push
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rule — government
  24. chip — in a computer

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