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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. charge — a price
  8. last — to go on
  9. ground — crushed
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. charge — electricity
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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