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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. charge — electricity
  3. court — of a king
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. court — for sport
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. charge — a price
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stand — to bear
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. charge — in control
  24. court — of law

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