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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
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: chair · cold · rock · stand · hide · mug · saw · charge

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. rock — music
  17. charge — in control
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cold — not warm

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