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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. key — the most important part
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — to tease
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. key — in music
  8. march — music
  9. kid — child
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. charge — in control
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. charge — a price
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. key — for a lock

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