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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: rule · cell · chip · chair · face · fan · chest · cue

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cue — for pool
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. face — to confront
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rule — government
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rule — a law
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chest — a box
  23. cue — a hint
  24. face — to point toward

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