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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: jam · hide · charge · field · cold · rule · rock · bore

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bore — to tire
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rock — music
  7. rule — government
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. charge — in control
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rule — a law
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bore — to drill
  22. field — for sport
  23. charge — a price
  24. field — farmland

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