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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. charge — a price
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. staff — a stick
  5. charge — in control
  6. chair — a leader
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mate — a friend
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. charge — electricity
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a dance

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