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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cold — not warm
  4. capital — money
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. suit — in cards
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bore — to tire
  21. charge — in control
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cold — an illness
  24. capital — a city

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