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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — the month
  3. current — happening now
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — in control
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. charge — a price
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. current — electric
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. charge — electricity
  22. current — of water
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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