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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. present — there
  3. lean — thin
  4. charge — a price
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bat — the animal
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. present — the time now
  15. rock — music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rock — a stone
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. charge — in control
  24. present — a gift

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