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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. club — for golf
  10. season — of the year
  11. club — for dancing
  12. charge — a price
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. mate — a partner
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cell — a phone
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. club — a group
  23. charge — in control
  24. mate — a friend

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