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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: bowl · rule · last · charge · wound · chair · fall · straw

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. charge — electricity
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — a price
  10. last — final
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. last — to go on
  14. rule — government
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. charge — in control
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rule — a law
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chair — a leader
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fall — to drop

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