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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.

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: kid · squash · saw · chair · leaves · charge · pitcher · drill

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kid — to tease
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. charge — a price
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. charge — electricity
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — in control
  19. drill — army training
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. drill — a practice
  22. squash — the sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. squash — to crush

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