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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mug — a cup
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rule — a law
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rule — government
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. capital — a city
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. capital — money
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mug — a face

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