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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: row · key · wind · lash · staff · last · chip · land

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. row — a line
  5. staff — employees
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — a stick
  12. land — ground
  13. last — to go on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. staff — employees
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. last — final
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. last — finally
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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