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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: club · kick · sharp · staff · chip · key · chair · date

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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. staff — employees
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. chip — for betting
  10. club — for dancing
  11. key — in music
  12. date — the fruit
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chair — a leader
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. staff — employees
  24. sharp — exactly

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