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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mate — a partner
  3. suit — clothes
  4. chip — to eat
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rash — a series
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mate — to breed
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. snap — to click
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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