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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. band — a ring
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ground — a position
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — a tin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. charge — in control
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. board — a committee
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. charge — electricity
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. band — a music group
  18. ground — the earth
  19. board — to get on
  20. degree — temperature
  21. charge — a price
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — an amount

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