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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. drill — a practice
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. drill — the tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. root — of a plant
  8. club — a group
  9. root — of a word
  10. drill — army training
  11. charge — a price
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. club — for dancing
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. march — the month
  16. club — for golf
  17. shower — to wash
  18. march — music
  19. shower — rain
  20. row — a line
  21. root — the cause
  22. row — to paddle
  23. march — the month
  24. charge — electricity

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