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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fall — the season
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chair — a leader
  14. race — a contest
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. deal — to handle
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fall — to drop

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