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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. court — of law
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mine — for digging
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cue — for pool
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — of a king
  18. charge — in control
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. drill — army training
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. charge — a price

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