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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. court — of law
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. court — of a king
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cap — of ice
  15. charge — in control
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitch — completely
  19. court — for sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pop — soda
  22. charge — a price
  23. cap — a hat
  24. charge — electricity

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