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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. last — final
  3. branch — a division
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. last — to go on
  9. charge — a price
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — finally
  13. pit — a hole
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cap — a lid
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cap — of ice
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. charge — electricity
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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