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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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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: fork · fall · chair · temple · march · cell · ball · chip

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. march — the month
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — the season
  7. march — the month
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ball — a dance
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. march — music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ball — a great time
  24. chair — a leader

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