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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. swing — to play on
  5. charge — a price
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rash — a series
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. charge — in control
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tear — to rip
  24. safe — out of danger

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