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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. staff — employees
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. charge — in control
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. charge — a price
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ground — a position
  24. hide — animal skin

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