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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. row — to paddle
  9. charge — a price
  10. row — a line
  11. charge — in control
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cell — in a prison

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