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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. charge — electricity
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hand — in cards
  5. game — a match
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. kid — child
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. game — wild animals

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