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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bore — to drill
  4. date — the fruit
  5. row — a line
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spring — of water
  8. ground — a position
  9. spring — the season
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bore — to tire
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — a coil
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bulb — of a plant

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