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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — help
  5. wake — a trail
  6. present — the time now
  7. drill — army training
  8. charge — in control
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. present — there
  12. hand — in cards
  13. present — a gift
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. drill — the tool

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