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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. net — after costs
  5. chair — a leader
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. charge — a price
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wind — moving air
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. drill — army training
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. charge — in control

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