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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. drill — army training
  4. chair — a leader
  5. land — to come down
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. land — ground
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chip — for betting
  18. key — the most important part
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. land — a country
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chair — to sit on

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