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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. charge — a price
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cell — in biology
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. swing — music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cell — a phone
  10. date — the fruit
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mug — to rob
  14. charge — in control
  15. toast — bread
  16. mug — a face
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. toast — the most admired

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