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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. band — a music group
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. charge — a price
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bore — to drill
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — in control
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. march — music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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