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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. charge — a price
  3. drill — army training
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rule — government
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rule — a law
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — in a road
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wound — an injury
  22. roll — a list
  23. drill — a practice
  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