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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lie — to recline
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cue — a hint
  6. drill — a practice
  7. land — a country
  8. cue — a signal
  9. hand — help
  10. land — to come down
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — the tool
  14. land — ground
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. charge — a price
  19. game — a match
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. charge — in control
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pound — for dogs

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