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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of law
  5. capital — a city
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a match
  11. court — for sport
  12. charge — a price
  13. bore — to tire
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pound — a weight
  19. capital — money
  20. court — of a king
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wind — moving air

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