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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 116 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: tube · cap · cell · chair · bowl · rest · sharp · game

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — a break
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cell — a phone
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cell — in biology
  22. sharp — clever
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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