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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. charge — electricity
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — a match
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. charge — in control
  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