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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.

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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 · straw · date · stick · scale · chair · object · bear

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bear — the animal
  4. object — an aim
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. date — the fruit
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. charge — a price
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. charge — in control
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. scale — in music
  21. object — to protest
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. object — a thing

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