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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. charge — a price
  3. land — to come down
  4. last — to go on
  5. board — to get on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. last — final
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. drill — army training
  10. land — a country
  11. board — a committee
  12. charge — in control
  13. drill — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — finally
  16. row — a line
  17. drill — a practice
  18. land — ground
  19. rush — hurry
  20. charge — electricity
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. can — to be able to

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