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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. charge — a price
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chair — a leader
  10. can — a tin
  11. drill — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — army training
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. charge — in control
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wind — moving air
  19. hand — in cards
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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