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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · drill · pound · cell · track · bat · stick · wake

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. drill — army training
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — in biology
  8. charge — in control
  9. pound — a weight
  10. track — a song
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. track — a path
  15. cell — a phone
  16. charge — a price
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. drill — a practice
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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