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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. charge — in control
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chest — a box
  10. rock — music
  11. charge — electricity
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. clip — for paper
  19. hand — help
  20. chest — of your body
  21. clip — a video
  22. bore — to tire
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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