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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pass — a permit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. charge — a price
  5. prune — to trim
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — a container
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — to handle
  11. charge — in control
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. charge — electricity
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. tube — the underground
  24. degree — an amount

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