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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: fan · bowl · charge · bat · bore · land · fine · row

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. land — to come down
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. land — a country
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. charge — in control
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. land — ground
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bore — to drill
  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