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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. current — of water
  3. last — finally
  4. pop — to visit
  5. last — to go on
  6. current — happening now
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ground — a position
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. current — electric
  14. pop — soda
  15. charge — a price
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pop — music
  19. last — final
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. charge — in control
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — the earth

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