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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: net · key · firm · lean · staff · scale · cold · chip

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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. firm — steady
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. net — after costs
  6. scale — in music
  7. key — in music
  8. staff — employees
  9. firm — decided
  10. lean — thin
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chip — to eat
  13. net — for catching
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. net — in sport
  17. cold — an illness
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cold — not warm
  20. staff — a stick
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. key — the most important part
  24. firm — a company

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