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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. charge — in control
  11. hand — in cards
  12. charge — electricity
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. charge — a price
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — a position
  21. fork — in a road
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hand — help
  24. bore — to tire

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