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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.

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: charge · chair · tube · mug · snap · staff · march · racket

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chair — a leader
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tube — the underground
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. march — music
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mug — a face
  15. staff — a stick
  16. charge — in control
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — the month
  21. staff — employees
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. staff — employees

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