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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. snap — to click
  3. charge — in control
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a music group
  10. chair — a leader
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a ring
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. charge — a price
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. season — in sport
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitcher — a jug

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