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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 116 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. charge — a price
  4. bore — to drill
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pit — a hole
  7. last — final
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bore — to tire
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. last — to go on
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pit — in a race
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. charge — in control
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — to eat
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. prune — to trim

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