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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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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: foot · mouse · leaves · charge · clip · court · drill · kid

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. clip — for paper
  6. kid — to tease
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. court — of law
  12. charge — a price
  13. court — for sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. foot — a measure
  16. clip — a video
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kid — child
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. charge — in control
  22. clip — to cut
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. court — of a king

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