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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 120 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: land · sharp · staff · bat · fan · chip · bear · arm

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chip — for betting
  3. sharp — clever
  4. land — ground
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. land — a country
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. land — to come down
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bear — the animal

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