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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. last — final
  3. charge — in control
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. last — finally
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fall — to drop
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — a stick
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. charge — electricity
  17. last — to go on
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitch — completely
  21. charge — a price
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fall — to drop
  24. staff — employees

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