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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.

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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chest — of your body
  9. charge — a price
  10. chest — of your body
  11. charge — in control
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — a box
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. saw — the tool

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