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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: bat · cue · bound · wound · chair · pass · chip · fall

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fall — the season
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bound — certain
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bat — the animal
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cue — a signal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bound — obliged

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