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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — a hat
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cap — a lid
  11. charge — a price
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. last — finally
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tube — the underground
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. charge — in control
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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