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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · charge · game · rest · bear · hide · pop · craft

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. craft — boats
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chair — a leader
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. charge — in control
  16. craft — a skill
  17. charge — a price
  18. game — a match
  19. bear — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pop — soda
  24. chair — a professorship

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