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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. charge — in control
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. current — of water
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tube — a container
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tube — the underground
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. current — happening now
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. charge — electricity
  19. chair — a leader
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. current — electric
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bear — the animal

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