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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mug — a cup
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. rest — a break
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mug — to rob
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mug — a face
  13. lean — thin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. board — a committee
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spring — of water
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chair — a leader
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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