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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cue — a hint
  5. tear — from crying
  6. land — to come down
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. race — humankind
  9. land — a country
  10. tear — from crying
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bat — the animal
  13. land — ground
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. race — a contest
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chip — for betting
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chip — to eat

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