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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — electricity
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fork — to eat with

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