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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: toast · game · bore · mark · pit · scale · charge · land

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. toast — bread
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. land — a country
  7. pit — in a race
  8. land — ground
  9. charge — a price
  10. scale — in music
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bore — to drill
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mark — a grade
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — size or range
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. charge — in control
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pit — a hole
  23. land — to come down
  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