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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — a price
  3. roll — a cake
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bore — to tire
  8. charge — electricity
  9. kick — in football
  10. swing — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. swing — in golf
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. charge — in control
  16. roll — a list
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. can — to be able to
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. swing — to play on

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