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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rule — a law
  6. can — a tin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — to be able to
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. field — for sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rash — hasty
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rule — government
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hide — to keep secret

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