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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · mine · bass · fine · bore · charge · cap · march

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fine — all right
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. charge — in control
  10. march — the month
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chest — a box
  14. bass — low music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — the fish
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cap — a hat
  22. charge — a price
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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