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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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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: date · snap · saw · chair · charge · chest · present · bark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chair — a leader
  5. saw — the tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. charge — in control
  10. bark — to shout
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. present — the time now
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. charge — a price
  20. present — there
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chest — of your body

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