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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rule — a law
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. staff — employees
  7. charge — in control
  8. rule — government
  9. charge — a price
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. snap — to click
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. charge — electricity
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. staff — employees
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. craft — a skill
  24. stand — to bear

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