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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. staff — employees
  3. club — a group
  4. charge — a price
  5. club — for dancing
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stand — to bear
  8. content — happy
  9. charge — electricity
  10. content — the amount
  11. hand — in cards
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — help
  14. staff — a stick
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. charge — in control
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. club — for golf
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. drill — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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