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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: rash · charge · jam · hide · bear · scale · staff · chest

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. charge — a price
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bear — the animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. chest — a box
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. charge — in control
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rash — a series

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