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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. content — happy
  4. charge — in control
  5. firm — decided
  6. last — final
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. charge — electricity
  10. present — the time now
  11. wax — to grow
  12. present — a gift
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. last — to go on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. content — the amount
  18. firm — a company
  19. present — there
  20. charge — a price
  21. firm — steady
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. last — finally

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