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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 124 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. snap — to click
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. charge — in control
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chip — to eat
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cell — in biology
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cell — a phone
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chair — a leader
  21. charge — a price
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cell — in a prison

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