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

Word bank: stand · bowl · drill · charge · rest · clip · staff · kid

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. charge — electricity
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. staff — employees
  6. kid — to tease
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — a practice
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. clip — for paper
  17. staff — employees
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stand — to bear
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rest — what's left
  23. drill — army training
  24. bowl — a football final

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