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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chip — to eat
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cell — in biology
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chip — for betting
  14. clip — a video
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. staff — a stick
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chair — a leader
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. dip — a sauce

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