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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. object — to protest
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — a safe
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. staff — employees
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. chip — to eat
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cell — in a prison

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