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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.

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: bark · cold · chair · lean · hide · saw · charge · key

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — thin
  3. key — in music
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. charge — in control
  6. chair — a leader
  7. charge — electricity
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. key — the most important part
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bark — to shout
  14. key — for a lock
  15. charge — a price
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cold — an illness

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