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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mug — to rob
  3. clip — a video
  4. land — a country
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. charge — in control
  8. land — ground
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — of the year
  12. clip — to cut
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mug — a face
  21. season — in sport
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. land — to come down
  24. drill — a practice

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