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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. charge — in control
  4. object — an aim
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — a trail
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. charge — a price
  11. object — a thing
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. charge — electricity
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rest — what's left
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chair — a leader
  24. straw — dry grass

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