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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 116 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: bass · charge · fork · saw · drill · rush · march · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. drill — the tool
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rush — hurry
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fork — in a road
  9. march — the month
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. board — a committee
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. board — to get on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — low music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. march — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. charge — a price
  24. fork — a garden tool

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