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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bound — tied together
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. chair — a leader
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. drill — army training
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chip — to eat
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cap — a lid
  24. suit — clothes

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