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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. present — a gift
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. can — to be able to
  8. present — there
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. charge — in control
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. can — a tin
  18. present — the time now
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitch — completely
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. court — of law

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