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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. present — the time now
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cap — of ice
  5. file — a document
  6. present — there
  7. file — a tool
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rest — a break
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kick — in football
  16. present — a gift
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cap — a hat
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rest — what's left

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