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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. court — for sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lean — thin
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. court — of a king
  8. charge — in control
  9. cold — an illness
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — to bend
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of law
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cold — not warm
  22. charge — a price
  23. chip — for betting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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