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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mug — a cup
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chip — to eat
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — in biology
  13. deal — to handle
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mug — a face
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. charge — in control
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cap — of ice
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. charge — a price
  24. tear — to rip

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