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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tube — a container
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cold — an illness
  9. charge — a price
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. drill — army training
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — the sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. charge — in control
  21. kick — in football
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. tube — the underground

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