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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — for a lock
  3. file — a line of people
  4. charge — a price
  5. file — a document
  6. cell — a phone
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mug — a face
  10. chest — a box
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chest — of your body
  13. charge — in control
  14. mug — a cup
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. key — in music

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