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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · leaves · drill · rule · last · wind · charge · bat

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. charge — a price
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. drill — army training
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. board — to get on
  12. charge — in control
  13. rule — government
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. last — final
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. board — a committee
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rule — a law
  24. bat — for baseball

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