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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. season — of the year
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. season — in sport
  6. shower — rain
  7. kid — child
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. shower — to wash
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to click
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. charge — a price
  23. kid — to tease
  24. charge — in control

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