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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. firm — decided
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — a price
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bat — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — in control
  18. firm — steady
  19. chair — a leader
  20. firm — a company
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bat — in an idiom

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