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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. rock — a stone
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. club — for golf
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — a group
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. charge — in control
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rock — to move gently

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