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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: mug · bore · pound · cold · last · sharp · charge · date

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. charge — electricity
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mug — to rob
  5. charge — a price
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mug — a face
  12. date — the fruit
  13. charge — in control
  14. bore — to tire
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cold — an illness
  21. last — finally
  22. mug — a cup
  23. cold — not warm
  24. last — to go on

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