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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a great time
  3. charge — a price
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bore — to tire
  7. root — of a word
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ball — a dance
  14. charge — in control
  15. stock — shares
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stock — goods
  18. scale — in music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. root — the cause
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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