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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rest — what's left
  3. charge — in control
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — final
  7. charge — electricity
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. season — in sport
  12. deal — to handle
  13. charge — a price
  14. rest — a break
  15. last — finally
  16. bat — the animal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — to go on
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. deal — an agreement

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