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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. can — a tin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. charge — electricity
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. charge — a price
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. charge — in control
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chest — a box
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — a leader

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