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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · game · charge · band · chair · mine

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. charge — a price
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. band — a music group
  9. stand — to bear
  10. band — a ring
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stand — on your feet

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