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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: chair · charge · mine · file · stick · mark · deal · bat

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — the animal
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. file — a tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. deal — to handle
  19. file — a document
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mine — for digging
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mark — a trace
  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