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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. club — a group
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. charge — in control
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. club — for golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chair — a professorship

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