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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. charge — in control
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. craft — boats
  5. bound — certain
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bore — to tire
  10. charge — a price
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bore — to drill
  13. season — of the year
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — in sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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