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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: season · staff · charge · board · foot · mark · chest · cue

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cue — a hint
  3. charge — electricity
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. charge — in control
  6. board — to get on
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chest — of your body
  10. charge — a price
  11. chest — a box
  12. season — in sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cue — a signal
  15. staff — employees
  16. cue — for pool
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. season — of the year
  23. board — a committee
  24. foot — a measure

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