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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: present · bore · bat · charge · clip · deal · rush · shower

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. deal — to handle
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bat — the animal
  6. charge — in control
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. present — the time now
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. present — a gift
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. shower — rain
  22. rush — hurry
  23. present — there
  24. deal — an agreement

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