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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: kick · drill · squash · charge · dip · fan · mate · net

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mate — a partner
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. drill — army training
  9. squash — the sport
  10. drill — the tool
  11. charge — a price
  12. net — in sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — a practice
  17. net — after costs
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kick — in football
  20. mate — a friend
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mate — to breed

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