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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. sharp — clever
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. charge — electricity
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. charge — in control
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. charge — a price
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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