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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: charge · mark · sharp · drill · ball · chest · last · root

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. charge — electricity
  3. root — of a word
  4. last — finally
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. root — the cause
  7. chest — a box
  8. charge — a price
  9. last — final
  10. mark — a grade
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. last — to go on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. sharp — clever
  18. charge — in control
  19. mark — a trace
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. ball — a great time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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