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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bore — to drill
  4. land — ground
  5. charge — in control
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. field — for sport
  10. pound — a weight
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rule — a law
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. branch — a division
  18. bass — low music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rule — government
  22. bore — to tire
  23. charge — a price
  24. bore — gave birth

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