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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. object — an aim
  5. drill — a practice
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. fine — high quality
  8. object — a thing
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. charge — in control
  13. object — to protest
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bore — to drill
  16. drill — the tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. season — of the year
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. drill — army training
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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