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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
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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: tear · sharp · chair · foot · roll · charge · date · firm

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — steady
  4. tear — from crying
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. firm — a company
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. roll — a list
  9. chair — a leader
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. firm — decided
  12. charge — electricity
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. roll — a cake
  16. date — the fruit
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. tear — to rip
  19. charge — in control
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. charge — a price
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. sharp — exactly

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