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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. charge — a price
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — to drop
  7. charge — in control
  8. squash — to crush
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. charge — electricity
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rush — hurry
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fall — the season
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — 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