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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spring — of water
  9. charge — a price
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spring — the season
  16. cell — a phone
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. drill — a practice
  19. roll — a list
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lean — thin

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