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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · mine · bore · cold · safe · mug · ball · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — to rob
  8. shower — rain
  9. mine — for digging
  10. charge — a price
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mug — a face
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. charge — in control
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ball — a great time

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