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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. charge — electricity
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rock — music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. staff — employees
  9. charge — a price
  10. suit — clothes
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rock — a stone
  13. staff — a stick
  14. charge — in control
  15. cold — an illness
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cap — a lid
  18. staff — employees
  19. cold — not warm
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. suit — to fit
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cap — of ice

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