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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pit — in a race
  3. charge — in control
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. last — finally
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. charge — a price
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. charge — electricity
  16. last — to go on
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chest — a box
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. straw — a straw man

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