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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 116 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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. file — a tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. drill — army training
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. charge — a price
  18. file — a document
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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