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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 116 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: net · staff · fork · straw · chip · wound · rock · bowl

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — in sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. net — for catching
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rock — music
  19. net — after costs
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rock — to move gently

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