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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. charge — electricity
  6. land — a country
  7. bore — to tire
  8. shower — rain
  9. land — ground
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — letters
  15. cue — a hint
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spell — magic
  20. charge — a price
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. charge — in control
  24. leaves — lets stay

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