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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: chest · prune · chip · chair · track · mouse · dip · club

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. club — a group
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. track — a path
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chair — a leader
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. club — for golf
  14. track — a song
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. club — for dancing
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. chest — a box
  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