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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cold — not warm
  7. charge — a price
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spring — of water
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. season — in sport
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spring — the season
  19. charge — in control
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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