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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bore — to tire
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rush — hurry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. squash — to crush
  20. charge — electricity
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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