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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chip — to eat
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chip — for betting
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mark — a trace
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mark — a grade
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. chair — to sit on

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