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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. roll — a cake
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bore — to tire
  12. charge — in control
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. bore — to drill
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. roll — a list

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