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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. drill — army training
  3. fine — all right
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. club — a group
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. charge — electricity
  11. track — a song
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tube — the underground
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fine — high quality
  16. track — a path
  17. charge — a price
  18. track — to keep track
  19. drill — a practice
  20. club — for golf
  21. charge — in control
  22. tube — a container
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — letters

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