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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. charge — electricity
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. field — a subject
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. field — for sport
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. charge — a price
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bat — the animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. straw — a straw man

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