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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cell — in biology
  7. file — a tool
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. file — a line of people
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ground — a position
  13. mug — a face
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stem — to come from
  17. snap — to click
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. file — a document
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chair — a leader
  24. ground — the earth

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