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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. land — a country
  4. pop — music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. land — to come down
  7. kid — child
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a music group
  10. pop — to visit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pop — soda
  15. band — a ring
  16. chip — to eat
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chip — for betting
  23. land — ground
  24. safe — a strongbox

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