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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cue — a hint
  3. land — ground
  4. date — the fruit
  5. drill — a practice
  6. land — a country
  7. charge — a price
  8. land — to come down
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bore — to tire
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bore — to drill
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. swing — in golf
  20. charge — in control
  21. cue — a signal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cue — for pool
  24. swing — music

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