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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. current — of water
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. current — electric
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. current — happening now
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. stem — a stem cell

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