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

Word bank: cap · charge · board · cell · prune · firm · hide · bat

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cap — a lid
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — a company
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. charge — a price
  10. board — a committee
  11. cell — in biology
  12. charge — in control
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — a phone
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cap — of ice
  18. firm — steady
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. firm — decided
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cell — in a prison

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