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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 120 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: chip · chair · stem · mug · face · rash · hand · suit

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — to point toward
  5. suit — in cards
  6. mug — a cup
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mug — a face
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — help
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. face — to confront
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. face — part of the head
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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