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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 124 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. fine — all right
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. date — the fruit
  6. charge — in control
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. object — an aim
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. file — a document
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. object — to protest
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. file — a tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. object — a thing
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. file — a line of people

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