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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. charge — electricity
  3. kid — to tease
  4. charge — in control
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. content — the amount
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. land — ground
  14. charge — a price
  15. kid — child
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. land — a country
  20. chair — a leader
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. land — to come down
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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