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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. charge — a price
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. land — ground
  4. wind — moving air
  5. charge — in control
  6. drill — army training
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. row — to paddle
  10. drill — the tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. spell — magic
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. row — a line
  17. charge — electricity
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — a country
  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