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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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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: straw · chair · arm · temple · charge · wake · shower · court

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wake — a trail
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. charge — electricity
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. shower — to wash
  8. charge — in control
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. charge — a price
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. shower — rain
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. chair — a leader
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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