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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mug — a cup
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mug — to rob
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mug — a face
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bound — tied together
  13. suit — in cards
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. charge — a price
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — army training
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. row — a line
  23. charge — in control
  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