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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · wave · kid · chair · rule · perch

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. kid — child
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rule — a law
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rule — government
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chair — a leader
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chip — for betting

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