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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. capital — money
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hand — help
  11. file — a line of people
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fork — in a road
  16. charge — in control
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. file — a tool
  21. charge — a price
  22. file — a document
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hand — part of the body

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