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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. charge — a price
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. content — happy
  5. net — after costs
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lean — to bend
  11. chair — a leader
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rest — what's left
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. charge — electricity
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. charge — in control
  20. rest — a break
  21. content — the amount
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lean — thin

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