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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chip — to eat
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rest — what's left
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — to crush
  10. court — for sport
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rest — a break
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rock — music

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