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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: drill · track · fine · charge · lash · deal · clip · pitcher

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — a practice
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. clip — a video
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. drill — army training
  12. charge — in control
  13. clip — to cut
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. track — a path
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — the tool
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. clip — for paper

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