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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: fork · shower · rule · drill · charge · degree · deal · pound

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. degree — an amount
  3. charge — in control
  4. drill — army training
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. shower — to wash
  9. degree — temperature
  10. charge — a price
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rule — government
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pound — a weight
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. shower — rain

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