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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chip — for betting
  12. charge — electricity
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mine — for digging
  23. row — a line
  24. branch — of a bank

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