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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ground — a position
  8. bound — obliged
  9. drill — army training
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cap — a hat
  12. squash — the sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chair — a leader
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — certain
  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