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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: hand · rest · chair · bat · saw · hide · chip · lie

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chip — to eat
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hand — help
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rest — a break
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chair — a leader

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