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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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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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. band — a ring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. charge — a price
  8. game — a match
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lie — to recline
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. charge — in control
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. row — to paddle
  20. band — a music group
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a line
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. game — wild animals

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