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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. present — there
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. present — the time now
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ground — a position
  8. bank — for money
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chip — to eat
  11. tube — a container
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. ground — the earth
  15. present — a gift
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pop — music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bank — for money

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