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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. march — music
  5. charge — in control
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. charge — a price
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chair — a leader
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — electricity
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bowl — a dish

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