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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.

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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. ground — a position
  3. tube — the underground
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ground — crushed
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. charge — in control
  14. ground — the earth
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tube — a container
  24. charge — a price

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