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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 116 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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — army training
  4. chip — to eat
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fall — the season
  12. chair — a leader
  13. drill — the tool
  14. club — for golf
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — a group
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fork — in a road

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