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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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468
Word bank
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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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 — a price
  2. drill — army training
  3. scale — in music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. scale — size or range
  6. tube — a container
  7. rest — a break
  8. drill — the tool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of law
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. court — of a king
  15. charge — electricity
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. court — for sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rest — what's left
  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