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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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Word bank
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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: last · foot · firm · bowl · cell · chip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. last — to go on
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chip — for betting
  6. last — final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cell — in biology
  9. firm — a company
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. firm — decided
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. chip — to eat
  14. firm — steady
  15. last — finally
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. 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