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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 116 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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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: rash · chair · swing · fork · last · tear · charge · straw

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — final
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. last — to go on
  11. swing — music
  12. charge — a price
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. charge — in control
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rash — a series
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rash — hasty
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. swing — in golf
  24. tear — to rip

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