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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. charge — electricity
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — a lid
  5. board — to get on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — help
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. charge — a price
  12. chip — for betting
  13. charge — in control
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chair — a leader
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. board — a committee

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