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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. charge — a price
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stock — shares
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. charge — in control
  13. hand — help
  14. stock — goods
  15. charge — electricity
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — thin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in a prison

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