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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. charge — in control
  3. swing — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. swing — in golf
  9. clip — a video
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. charge — a price
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — wild animals
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rash — a series
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. charge — electricity
  23. game — a match
  24. rash — hasty

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