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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · snap · date · charge · present · scale · lean · roll

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. scale — size or range
  3. present — there
  4. scale — in music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lean — to bend
  7. present — a gift
  8. charge — in control
  9. lean — thin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. charge — a price
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. snap — to click
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. present — the time now
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — to keep secret

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