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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. charge — in control
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — the cause
  6. fine — all right
  7. chair — a leader
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fine — high quality
  10. game — a match
  11. cap — of ice
  12. charge — a price
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. root — of a word
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — help
  19. cap — a hat
  20. charge — electricity
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cap — a lid
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. band — a music group

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