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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. saw — the tool
  4. charge — a price
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chair — a leader
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — to paddle
  10. charge — electricity
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. charge — in control
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. row — a line
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wind — moving air

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