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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — to come down
  5. charge — electricity
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. land — a country
  13. chest — a box
  14. charge — in control
  15. chair — a leader
  16. present — a gift
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. charge — a price
  21. present — the time now
  22. land — ground
  23. chest — of your body
  24. present — there

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