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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rash — a series
  7. charge — in control
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — a price
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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