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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chip — for betting
  3. club — for golf
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. chair — a leader
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — a group
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. club — for dancing
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. can — to be able to
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spring — the season

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