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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: staff · fan · row · kick · chip · lie · date · bear

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. staff — employees
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. date — the fruit
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chip — to eat
  12. kick — in football
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. staff — a stick
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. staff — employees
  23. row — a line
  24. lie — to recline

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