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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. charge — a price
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bore — to drill
  18. charge — in control
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. face — to confront
  21. bore — to tire
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mine — for digging
  24. face — to point toward

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