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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: present · charge · bass · leaves · bat · staff · cabinet · squash

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. present — there
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. staff — employees
  5. present — the time now
  6. squash — to crush
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bat — the animal
  9. charge — in control
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. present — a gift
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. staff — employees
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — the sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. bass — low music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bass — the fish

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