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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. march — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. chest — a box
  13. charge — in control
  14. game — a match
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kick — in football
  18. chest — of your body
  19. vault — a safe
  20. game — wild animals
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — a leader
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. charge — a price

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