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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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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. charge — a price
  3. spell — a short time
  4. charge — in control
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spell — letters
  8. content — happy
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. charge — electricity
  16. scale — in music
  17. board — to get on
  18. land — to come down
  19. content — the amount
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — videos and posts

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