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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. ground — a position
  6. field — farmland
  7. rule — a law
  8. tube — the underground
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. field — a subject
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rule — government
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. can — a tin
  19. chip — to eat
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — a container
  22. field — for sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chair — a leader

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