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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bound — certain
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. charge — a price
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — a position
  17. rash — a series
  18. file — a tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a line of people
  24. charge — electricity

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