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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cell — in biology
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. charge — electricity
  12. clip — to cut
  13. hand — help
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ground — a position
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ground — crushed
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. charge — a price
  24. bore — to drill

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