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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: ground · saw · chip · calf · chair · toast · row · drill

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chair — a leader
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. ground — a position
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ground — crushed
  20. row — a line
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. chip — for betting
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. toast — bread

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