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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chest — a box
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rash — a series
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spring — the season
  14. craft — boats
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. craft — a skill
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wake — a trail

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