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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bore — to tire
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. charge — in control
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chest — a box
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mate — to breed
  15. degree — from a university
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mate — a partner
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. charge — electricity

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