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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. current — happening now
  3. drill — army training
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — for digging
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. charge — a price
  9. current — electric
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. march — music
  14. perch — the fish
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bore — to drill
  17. drill — the tool
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to tire
  21. current — of water
  22. fall — the season
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. charge — in control

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