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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pitch — completely
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tube — a container
  8. bore — to tire
  9. drill — army training
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — rain
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. shower — to wash
  18. charge — in control
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. charge — electricity
  24. drill — a practice

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