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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — to eat
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — a leader
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. plane — a tool
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. prune — to trim
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bat — the animal

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