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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 120 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: safe · chest · fork · spring · charge · hand · present · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chest — a box
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — the season
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. hand — help
  13. present — a gift
  14. spring — of water
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. charge — a price
  18. present — there
  19. present — the time now
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — part of the body

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