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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ground — the earth
  4. charge — electricity
  5. march — the month
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cell — in biology
  9. march — music
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. march — the month
  14. ground — a position
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. charge — in control
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bass — low music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — the season
  24. bore — gave birth

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