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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 120 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — completely
  5. charge — in control
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — in cards
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pop — to visit
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pop — soda
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pop — music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — of water

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