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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 124 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — for sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. field — a subject
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. charge — a price
  14. swing — music
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — obliged
  17. can — a tin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bound — certain
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hide — animal skin

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