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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. drill — army training
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chest — a box
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — crushed
  8. key — in music
  9. ground — a position
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. drill — a practice
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. charge — in control
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. key — the most important part
  24. charge — a price

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