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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: straw · deal · game · net · chip · date · staff · bore

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bore — to drill
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. date — the fruit
  7. staff — employees
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. net — in sport
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — for catching
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. net — after costs
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. staff — a stick
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. bore — to tire
  24. deal — to handle

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