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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chair — a leader
  7. charge — electricity
  8. tube — a container
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kick — in football
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. file — a tool

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