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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ball — a dance
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — a price
  10. last — to go on
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. last — final
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ball — a great time
  17. last — finally
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pound — a weight
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wound — an injury

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