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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: chip · bank · chair · leaves · coach · bowl · last · game

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bank — for money
  3. chip — for betting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. last — to go on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — a leader
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bank — of a river
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — finally
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — final

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