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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. rash — hasty
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. kid — to tease
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. row — a line
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. kid — child
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. drill — a practice
  23. charge — a price
  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