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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. object — to protest
  3. season — of the year
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. scale — in music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. scale — size or range
  15. object — an aim
  16. stand — to bear
  17. season — in sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chest — of your body
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chest — a box
  24. object — a thing

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