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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — an amount
  5. charge — in control
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. degree — from a university
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cap — a lid
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. charge — a price
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cap — of ice
  23. degree — temperature
  24. vault — a safe

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