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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. charge — a price
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bass — low music
  15. charge — in control
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bat — the animal
  21. suit — in cards
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bore — to drill
  24. suit — clothes

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