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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 116 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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. charge — a price
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. charge — in control
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pound — a weight
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bore — to tire
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. trunk — of a car

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