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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — the most important part
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. key — for a lock
  10. lean — thin
  11. cell — in biology
  12. track — a path
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cell — a phone
  20. charge — in control
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. key — in music

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