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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: band · roll · charge · cold · chair · toast · mug · squash

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cold — not warm
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mug — a cup
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cold — an illness
  14. charge — in control
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. squash — to crush
  20. toast — bread
  21. mug — a face
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. band — a ring

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