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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. field — farmland
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. march — the month
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chip — for betting
  12. march — music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. field — a subject
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cue — for pool
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. field — for sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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