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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. charge — in control
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. file — a document
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stand — to bear
  10. file — a tool
  11. chair — a leader
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. charge — a price
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bat — the animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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