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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. charge — a price
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. charge — electricity
  6. game — a match
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. charge — in control
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bound — tied together
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — wild animals

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