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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — to eat
  3. field — farmland
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. charge — electricity
  7. object — to protest
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — a thing
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. object — an aim
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. field — a subject
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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