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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. charge — a price
  3. cue — a hint
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cue — a signal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. charge — in control
  11. date — the fruit
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cue — for pool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — letters
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a document
  19. spell — a short time
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. spell — magic
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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