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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — a series
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spell — magic
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. spell — a short time
  21. prune — to trim
  22. key — the most important part
  23. spell — letters
  24. chip — for betting

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