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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. current — happening now
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bore — to drill
  5. charge — a price
  6. bore — to tire
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. current — of water
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. charge — in control
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. track — a song
  21. saw — the tool
  22. last — to go on
  23. current — electric
  24. saw — the tool

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