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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. charge — a price
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mug — a face
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mug — to rob
  14. charge — in control
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mug — a cup
  20. net — for catching
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. net — in sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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