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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. file — a tool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bank — for money
  5. bore — to drill
  6. file — a document
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. capital — money
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. charge — electricity
  15. track — to keep track
  16. charge — a price
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. bore — to tire
  22. chair — a leader
  23. capital — a city
  24. file — a line of people

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