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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. charge — in control
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. plane — a 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