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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chip — to eat
  3. land — to come down
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. squash — to crush
  8. land — a country
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — the sport
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — in sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. land — ground
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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