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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. charge — a price
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. clip — for paper
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chest — a box
  14. charge — electricity
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. clip — a video
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. charge — in control
  23. bass — low music
  24. chest — of your body

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