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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. roll — a cake
  3. land — ground
  4. tube — a container
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. land — a country
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. drill — a practice
  11. land — to come down
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — in control
  15. cue — for pool
  16. drill — army training
  17. roll — a list
  18. fall — to drop
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cue — a hint
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — the animal

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