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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: staff · net · can · charge · band · fine · clip · chair

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — a leader
  6. clip — a video
  7. can — to be able to
  8. charge — a price
  9. clip — to cut
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — in control
  18. band — a ring
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. charge — electricity
  22. staff — a stick
  23. clip — for paper
  24. band — a music group

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