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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: bay · chair · staff · ball · straw · cold · charge · bound

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cold — not warm
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. charge — in control
  8. bound — tied together
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — an illness
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. charge — electricity
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bound — certain

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