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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ground — a position
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mark — a trace
  5. charge — a price
  6. spell — a short time
  7. content — happy
  8. ground — the earth
  9. board — to get on
  10. charge — electricity
  11. board — a committee
  12. key — in music
  13. spell — letters
  14. drill — army training
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spell — magic
  20. key — the most important part
  21. charge — in control
  22. content — the amount
  23. drill — the tool
  24. key — for a lock

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