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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — the animal
  3. charge — a price
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. root — of a word
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lean — to bend
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lean — thin
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. swing — music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. charge — electricity
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. swing — to play on
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. charge — in control
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitcher — a jug

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