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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bore — to drill
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. shower — rain
  7. spring — the season
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lie — to recline
  10. spring — a coil
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — of water
  13. pass — a permit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. charge — in control
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. charge — a price
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bore — to tire
  24. shower — to wash

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