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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bear — the animal
  3. charge — a price
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. key — in music
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chest — of your body
  15. last — final
  16. chest — of your body
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chest — a box
  19. bear — the animal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chair — a leader
  24. charge — in control

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