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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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 — electricity
  2. drill — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. staff — employees
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tear — to rip
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. content — happy
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — army training
  21. content — the amount
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. roll — a list
  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