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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. chair — a leader
  11. season — of the year
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chip — for betting
  20. degree — temperature
  21. charge — electricity
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bank — of a river

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