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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chip — for betting
  8. board — to get on
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. land — to come down
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. board — a committee
  14. game — a match
  15. chip — to eat
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chair — a leader
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. roll — a list

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