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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bore — to tire
  6. face — part of the head
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to drill
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — a phone
  16. face — to confront
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to point toward
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. sharp — clever
  24. racket — for tennis

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