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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. charge — electricity
  5. tube — the underground
  6. charge — in control
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — a price
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. tube — a container
  24. arm — a part of something

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