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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. charge — a price
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. leaves — of a tree

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