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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. craft — boats
  3. charge — a price
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chair — a leader
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to click
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. row — a line
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. row — to paddle
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. craft — a skill
  21. perch — the fish
  22. charge — in control
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. charge — electricity

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