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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — magic
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. charge — electricity
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — a leader
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. branch — a division
  10. drill — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spell — letters
  14. plane — a tool
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spell — a short time
  19. charge — a price
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. charge — in control
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. drill — army training
  24. hide — to keep secret

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