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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. last — to go on
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. last — finally
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cell — a phone
  11. squash — the sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. drill — army training
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. last — final
  19. cell — in biology
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. charge — a price

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