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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — a country
  7. chip — to eat
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — ground
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. land — to come down
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chair — a leader
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — a jug

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