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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spring — of water
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chair — a leader
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. firm — steady
  10. roll — a cake
  11. spring — a coil
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hand — help
  14. firm — a company
  15. charge — in control
  16. lean — thin
  17. spring — the season
  18. roll — a list
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. charge — a price
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. firm — decided

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