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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. charge — a price
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. charge — in control
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. game — a match
  11. fork — in a road
  12. kid — child
  13. bore — to tire
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kid — to tease
  22. charge — electricity
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. band — a rubber band

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