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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. kid — to tease
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kid — child
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — clever
  20. degree — an amount
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — a price
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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