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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. charge — electricity
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tube — the underground
  5. swing — to play on
  6. charge — in control
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bat — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. craft — a skill
  22. swing — music
  23. charge — a price
  24. bat — in an idiom

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