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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. charge — in control
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. charge — a price
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. court — of a king
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. court — of law
  20. net — in sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. net — for catching
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bowl — to roll

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