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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bass — the fish
  3. charge — a price
  4. spell — magic
  5. chair — a leader
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spell — a short time
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. field — a subject
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. charge — in control
  17. field — farmland
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. field — for sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bass — low music
  24. spell — letters

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