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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.

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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mark — a grade
  6. charge — in control
  7. drill — army training
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a trace
  14. court — for sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fall — to drop
  17. content — the amount
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. content — happy
  21. drill — the tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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