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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. charge — in control
  3. drill — the tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. scale — in music
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. drill — a practice
  10. snap — to click
  11. charge — a price
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — army training
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. racket — a loud noise

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