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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: rash · row · tear · saw · content · coach · chip · chair

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tear — to rip
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chip — to eat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. content — the amount
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. content — happy
  23. tear — from crying
  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