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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — for light
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to confront
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. present — a gift
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — in control
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wound — an injury
  14. charge — a price
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. present — the time now
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. face — to point toward
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. present — there

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