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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. present — there
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. clip — for paper
  5. present — the time now
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. charge — a price
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bore — to drill
  13. clip — a video
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. snap — to click
  19. mine — for digging
  20. charge — in control
  21. present — a gift
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bore — to tire

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