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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: rush · chip · mate · bear · pit · stand · chair · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pit — a hole

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