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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. charge — electricity
  3. club — for dancing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. charge — in control
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — to come down
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. club — for golf
  15. drill — the tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. drill — a practice
  19. land — a country
  20. club — a group
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a document
  24. land — ground

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