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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 116 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. charge — a price
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. game — wild animals
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. perch — the fish
  10. game — a match
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. drill — a practice
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. charge — in control
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wind — moving air
  18. drill — army training
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. drill — the tool

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