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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. last — to go on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spell — letters

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