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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chair — a leader
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. firm — steady
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. firm — decided
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. firm — a company
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. staff — employees
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. charge — in control
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wind — moving air

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