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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. charge — in control
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. ground — the earth
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. charge — a price
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bore — to drill
  9. land — to come down
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. land — ground
  12. cold — an illness
  13. land — a country
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. saw — the tool
  16. charge — electricity
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wake — a trail
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. deal — to handle

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