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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bound — tied together
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bound — certain
  9. bat — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — to come down
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. tube — a container
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chair — a leader
  23. dip — to dunk
  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