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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. clip — for paper
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — to cut
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. charge — a price
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. charge — electricity
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. game — wild animals
  18. saw — the tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. charge — in control
  24. game — a match

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