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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rule — a law
  3. charge — a price
  4. snap — to click
  5. charge — electricity
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rest — a break
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. charge — in control
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cap — a lid
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rest — what's left
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rule — government
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  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