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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wind — moving air
  7. present — there
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. present — the time now
  10. spell — letters
  11. row — to paddle
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — a practice
  14. charge — electricity
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. spell — magic
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — a price

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