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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cold — an illness
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. charge — a price
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chest — a box
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chest — of your body
  19. vault — a safe
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. charge — electricity
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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