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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.

Make a worksheet

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: last · chair · game · straw · season · fork · foot · charge

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. last — final
  5. foot — a measure
  6. charge — a price
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. charge — in control
  14. chair — a leader
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. charge — electricity
  17. season — in sport
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fork — in a road
  20. game — wild animals
  21. season — of the year
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. last — finally

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