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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · bore · plane · pit · cold · charge · ball · date

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. march — the month
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bore — to tire
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cold — not warm
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. march — music
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. charge — in control
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cold — an illness
  18. march — the month
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. plane — a tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ball — a dance
  24. charge — a price

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