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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. charge — in control
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — a friend

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