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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitch — completely
  8. charge — a price
  9. root — the cause
  10. rest — a break
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — a container
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tube — the underground
  21. charge — in control
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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