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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. game — wild animals
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chip — for betting
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. net — after costs
  9. foot — a measure
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — the season
  14. chip — to eat
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. game — a match
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. key — in music

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