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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: field · mark · present · chip · kick · rash · mug · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rash — hasty
  3. present — there
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — farmland
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — a subject
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. present — the time now
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mark — a trace
  14. field — for sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. staff — a stick
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chip — to eat
  19. present — a gift
  20. staff — employees
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rash — a series
  23. chip — for betting
  24. kick — in football

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