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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. land — ground
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bass — low music
  6. bore — to drill
  7. march — music
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kid — child
  10. bore — to tire
  11. charge — electricity
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — certain
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — obliged
  18. charge — a price
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. land — a country
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bass — the fish
  23. kid — to tease
  24. march — the month

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