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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · squash · hand · cell · chip · chair · trunk · sharp

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. hand — help
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cell — a phone
  13. chip — to eat
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. track — a song
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — a path
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. track — to keep track
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cell — in biology
  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