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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: fine · chip · cue · temple · ball · straw · chair · bat

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cue — a hint
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. chip — for betting
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — for pool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fine — all right
  17. bat — the animal
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. cue — a signal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ball — a round shape

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