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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · mouse · chip · tube · chair · pit · lean · bat

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lean — thin
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. tube — a container
  18. pit — a hole
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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