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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. shower — to wash
  3. foot — a measure
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. shower — rain
  8. hand — in cards
  9. charge — in control
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bore — to drill
  14. row — a line
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. charge — a price
  20. hand — help
  21. bore — to tire
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mouse — the animal

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