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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. game — a match
  4. chair — a leader
  5. swing — in golf
  6. file — a line of people
  7. swing — to play on
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. charge — in control
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. file — a document
  13. charge — a price
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cell — in biology
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kick — in football
  22. can — to be able to
  23. game — wild animals
  24. swing — music

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