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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. charge — electricity
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bank — for money
  5. charge — in control
  6. swing — in golf
  7. staff — a stick
  8. swing — to play on
  9. board — a committee
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. swing — music
  15. bank — for money
  16. kid — child
  17. board — to get on
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bank — of a river
  20. charge — a price
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bark — to shout

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