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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. date — the fruit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — rain
  7. drill — a practice
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. last — to go on
  10. club — for golf
  11. drill — army training
  12. charge — a price
  13. shower — to wash
  14. club — for dancing
  15. spell — letters
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. charge — in control
  18. spell — magic
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. club — a group
  23. last — final
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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