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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chip — to eat
  3. charge — electricity
  4. saw — the tool
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. kid — child
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. foot — a measure
  15. charge — in control
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — a price
  18. kid — to tease
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chip — for betting
  24. foot — part of the body

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