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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rule — government
  4. shower — to wash
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rule — a law
  7. bore — to tire
  8. charge — a price
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. charge — in control
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. shower — rain
  17. row — a line
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pit — in a race

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