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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. date — the fruit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. charge — in control
  12. foot — a measure
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. land — a country
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. charge — electricity
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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