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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mark — a trace
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. snap — to click
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chip — for betting
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. key — for a lock
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mark — a grade
  24. game — a match

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