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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
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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: charge · bat · chair · bore · staff · pitcher · patient · cell

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bore — to drill
  3. staff — employees
  4. charge — electricity
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bore — to tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. charge — a price
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. charge — in control
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bat — the animal

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