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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — to cut
  6. charge — electricity
  7. dip — to sink
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a ring
  16. clip — a video
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — a price
  20. hand — in cards
  21. season — in sport
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a rubber band

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