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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — in football
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — the season
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. charge — electricity
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. capital — money
  13. spring — of water
  14. mark — a trace
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. capital — a city
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. charge — a price
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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