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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. charge — a price
  4. clip — to cut
  5. branch — a division
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. band — a ring
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. charge — electricity
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — clever
  17. clip — for paper
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chair — a leader
  20. clip — a video
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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