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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — to get on
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. charge — electricity
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to click
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. board — a committee
  14. charge — a price
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — to tease
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kid — child
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. charge — in control
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chair — a professorship

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