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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. deal — to handle
  4. charge — a price
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. charge — in control
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bore — to drill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — the earth
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fork — in a road
  20. charge — electricity
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ground — a position
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. chair — a leader

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