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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.

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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: pass · charge · cold · bear · bound · pitch · rock · chair

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pass — a permit
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bound — obliged
  18. charge — in control
  19. cold — not warm
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. charge — a price
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rock — music
  24. cold — an illness

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