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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a ring
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. charge — electricity
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. content — the amount
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. content — happy
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. charge — a price
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. charge — in control
  21. band — a music group
  22. mine — for digging
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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