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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — to tease
  3. charge — in control
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a dance
  6. charge — electricity
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. date — the fruit
  9. object — to protest
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. object — a thing
  12. kid — child
  13. object — an aim
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. degree — from a university
  24. charge — a price

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