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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mug — a cup
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kick — in football
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a face
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mug — to rob

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