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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: mine · bat · charge · suit · chair · lean · fork · spell

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. spell — magic
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. suit — to fit
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bat — the animal
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mine — for digging

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