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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pop — soda
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. march — the month
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bat — the animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. march — music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pit — a hole
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. charge — in control
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. charge — a price
  24. pop — music

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