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

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chest — a box
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. can — to be able to
  8. clip — a video
  9. charge — electricity
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. can — a tin
  13. charge — a price
  14. chest — of your body
  15. capital — a city
  16. charge — in control
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. sharp — clever
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. sharp — with an edge

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