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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tube — a container
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. charge — in control
  16. kick — in football
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. charge — a price

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