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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 116 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — a leader
  5. charge — in control
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. scale — in music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pound — a weight

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