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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. land — to come down
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cold — not warm
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ground — a position
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — a country
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. charge — a price
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — in control
  24. land — ground

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