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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 120 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: charge · chair · fall · safe · spring · present · spell · cell

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — in biology
  11. present — there
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. spring — a coil
  14. charge — electricity
  15. present — the time now
  16. charge — a price
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. present — a gift
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spring — the season
  21. spell — letters
  22. fall — to drop
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — magic

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