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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 120 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: wound · drill · cue · deal · hide · land · charge · game

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. deal — to handle
  4. charge — in control
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. cue — a hint
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — a country
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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