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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. firm — a company
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fine — all right
  6. kick — in football
  7. firm — decided
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. shower — rain
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cold — not warm
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. charge — a price
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. charge — in control
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. spell — letters
  22. charge — electricity
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. firm — steady

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