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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: chair · spring · foot · can · cell · ruler · chip · rule

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. can — a tin
  3. rule — government
  4. spring — of water
  5. rule — a law
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. spring — the season
  10. cell — a phone
  11. can — a tin
  12. chair — a leader
  13. spring — a coil
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — in biology
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chip — to eat
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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