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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chair — a leader
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. dip — to sink
  8. charge — in control
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lean — thin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. race — a contest
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wind — moving air
  20. charge — a price
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. dip — a sauce

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