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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. ground — a position
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mug — a face
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rash — a series
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ground — crushed
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cell — in biology
  24. charge — in control

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