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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — a box
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. land — ground
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — a country
  24. wound — an injury

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