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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — electricity
  5. march — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. deal — to handle
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — low music
  10. charge — in control
  11. march — the month
  12. bound — tied together
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mouse — the animal
  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