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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. charge — a price
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mate — to breed
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lean — thin
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mate — a partner
  14. clip — a video
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. season — in sport
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lean — to bend
  21. season — of the year
  22. charge — in control
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cap — a lid

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