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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mark — a grade
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. chair — a leader
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. roll — a list
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. chip — for betting
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. rash — a series

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