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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 116 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 no middle ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ground — a position
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. present — a gift
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. present — there
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rock — music
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ground — crushed
  15. capital — money
  16. wake — a trail
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. fine — all right
  20. present — the time now
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ground — the earth
  23. charge — in control
  24. wake — before a funeral

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