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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wind — moving air
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rock — music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. charge — in control
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. drill — army training
  20. bark — to shout
  21. charge — electricity
  22. rush — hurry
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rush — to hurry

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