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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: cell · chair · row · rush · stick · chip · court · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cell — in biology
  13. row — a line
  14. court — of law
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chair — a leader
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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