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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. present — a gift
  3. board — a committee
  4. chair — a leader
  5. charge — electricity
  6. present — the time now
  7. board — to get on
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. can — a tin
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bore — to tire
  15. can — to be able to
  16. present — there
  17. charge — in control
  18. mine — for digging
  19. can — a tin
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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