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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. charge — a price
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. charge — electricity
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bat — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. ground — crushed
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. clip — a video
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. charge — in control
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rock — music
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. clip — for paper

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