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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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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: mug · chip · chair · field · mouse · bound · sharp · trunk

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — for sport
  4. sharp — clever
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. field — a subject
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chip — to eat
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bound — obliged
  23. field — farmland
  24. bound — certain

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