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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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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. drill — a practice
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. charge — a price
  6. mark — a grade
  7. land — ground
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — the month
  10. charge — electricity
  11. march — music
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. land — to come down
  14. spell — a short time
  15. drill — army training
  16. pass — a permit
  17. charge — in control
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bore — to drill
  22. drill — the tool
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — gave birth

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