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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: roll · fall · foot · present · cell · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. present — a gift
  4. fall — to drop
  5. roll — a list
  6. chair — a leader
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. present — the time now
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. roll — a cake
  14. present — there
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone

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