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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: cabinet · bore · charge · court · staff · mug · patient · content

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bore — to tire
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mug — to rob
  5. charge — a price
  6. staff — employees
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bore — to drill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — of law
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — happy
  14. court — of a king
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. court — for sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. staff — a stick
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. charge — in control
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — a face

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