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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: mate · charge · chair · chest · land · current · toast · craft

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — a skill
  4. toast — bread
  5. mate — to breed
  6. chair — a leader
  7. land — ground
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. chest — a box
  11. mate — a partner
  12. current — of water
  13. craft — boats
  14. charge — in control
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. current — electric
  19. charge — electricity
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. land — a country
  23. current — happening now
  24. charge — a price

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