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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — tied together
  3. net — for catching
  4. kick — in football
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — after costs
  14. cap — a hat
  15. charge — electricity
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bound — certain
  18. bark — to shout
  19. charge — in control
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. charge — a price
  23. net — in sport
  24. kick — a thrill

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