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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spell — a short time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spell — letters
  9. chip — for betting
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. track — a song
  13. game — a match
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. spell — magic
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pit — a hole
  23. track — a path
  24. wake — a trail

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