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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. charge — in control
  3. pop — music
  4. charge — a price
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. charge — electricity
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chest — a box
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pop — soda
  24. cabinet — ministers

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