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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. charge — a price
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. charge — in control
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bore — to drill
  11. object — to protest
  12. bore — to tire
  13. clip — for paper
  14. object — a thing
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. object — an aim
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. game — wild animals
  20. clip — to cut
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. squash — to crush
  23. clip — a video
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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