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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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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: wind · chair · can · hand · chip · toast · bound · pit

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. toast — bread
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wind — moving air
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bound — certain
  17. hand — help
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bound — tied together
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. can — to be able to

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