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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chip — to eat
  8. last — final
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. shower — rain
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stem — to come from
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fine — all right
  16. chip — for betting
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rule — government
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. last — to go on
  23. rule — a law
  24. last — finally

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