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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. drill — army training
  4. rock — music
  5. last — final
  6. game — a match
  7. cue — a hint
  8. drill — the tool
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. charge — a price
  12. cue — for pool
  13. last — finally
  14. cue — a signal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rock — a stone
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. last — to go on
  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