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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. charge — in control
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rash — hasty
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bass — low music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bass — the fish
  17. charge — a price
  18. toast — bread
  19. rash — a series
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. bat — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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