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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: sharp · lean · chip · chair · cue · cap · mine · arm

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — to eat
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cap — of ice
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cue — a hint
  17. lean — thin
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cue — a signal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cue — for pool
  23. arm — part of the body
  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