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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. charge — a price
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — crushed
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. charge — in control
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. ground — a position
  24. fan — a supporter

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