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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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468
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: content · stick · charge · cabinet · fine · wake · chair · lean

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. charge — in control
  3. chair — a leader
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. content — the amount
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — to bend
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. content — happy
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lean — thin
  21. charge — a price
  22. fine — all right
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fine — a penalty

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