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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. charge — in control
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. firm — steady
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. firm — decided
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pass — a permit
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. charge — a price
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chair — a leader
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. shower — rain
  24. mouse — the animal

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