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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chair — a leader
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — for sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. field — a subject
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. charge — in control
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — a tool
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chip — for betting
  20. charge — a price
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. charge — electricity
  23. chip — to eat
  24. field — farmland

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