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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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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: chair · wave · charge · row · pop · cell · pit · stick

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in biology
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pop — soda
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. row — a line
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. charge — in control
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. charge — a price
  23. pop — music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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