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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — electricity
  4. band — a music group
  5. drill — the tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. staff — employees
  8. land — to come down
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. land — ground
  15. drill — army training
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — a stick
  18. band — a ring
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — a practice
  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