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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mine — for digging
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. charge — in control
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. march — music
  16. fine — all right
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fine — high quality
  20. charge — a price
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. march — the month
  24. fan — to cool the air

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