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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rush — hurry
  3. charge — in control
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. charge — electricity
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bass — low music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. charge — a price
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hand — help
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bear — the animal

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