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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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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 · court · cold · wax · stick · present · charge · date

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cold — an illness
  5. date — the fruit
  6. charge — a price
  7. court — of a king
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. present — the time now
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. court — for sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — of law
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. charge — in control
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. present — a gift
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. present — there
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cold — not warm
  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