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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: squash · march · saw · mark · shower · hide · drill · charge

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — a practice
  6. march — the month
  7. charge — in control
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. charge — electricity
  11. drill — army training
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mark — a grade
  16. drill — the tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. charge — a price
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. squash — to crush
  23. march — music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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