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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. row — a line
  3. charge — in control
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. season — in sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spring — the season
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bore — to drill
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bass — low music
  19. spring — of water
  20. charge — a price
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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