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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. charge — in control
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. charge — a price
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mug — to rob
  17. present — the time now
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. present — a gift
  20. drill — a practice
  21. present — there
  22. drill — army training
  23. mug — a face
  24. game — a match

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