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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. charge — a price
  2. file — a document
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. scale — in music
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. charge — in control
  9. pit — a hole
  10. season — in sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bore — to tire
  13. kid — child
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wake — a trail
  16. charge — electricity
  17. season — of the year
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. kid — to tease
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. file — a tool
  23. bore — to drill
  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