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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pop — music
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. charge — a price
  5. roll — a list
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — a trail
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cap — of ice
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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