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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chair — a leader
  4. spring — the season
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. club — for golf
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. charge — in control
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — of water
  20. club — a group
  21. stem — to come from
  22. charge — a price
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spring — a coil

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