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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cold — not warm
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pass — a permit
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. charge — in control
  13. court — for sport
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. court — of a king
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. clip — a video
  22. charge — a price
  23. court — of law
  24. hide — animal skin

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