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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. charge — in control
  5. bore — to tire
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. spring — of water
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ground — crushed
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — the season
  24. chair — a leader

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