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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — hasty
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. can — a tin
  20. rash — a series
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — on the skin

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