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

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. shower — rain
  4. mug — a cup
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bound — certain
  10. snap — to click
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chip — for betting
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. chip — to eat

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