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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chair — a leader
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. field — farmland
  7. land — a country
  8. rule — government
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. field — for sport
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bass — low music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chip — for betting
  17. kick — in football
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rule — a law
  20. land — ground
  21. bass — the fish
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. land — to come down

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