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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. charge — electricity
  5. file — a line of people
  6. track — to keep track
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. capital — money
  13. shower — to wash
  14. track — a song
  15. shower — rain
  16. file — a document
  17. charge — a price
  18. pass — a permit
  19. track — a path
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. charge — in control
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. capital — a city
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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