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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · drill · patient · content · key · pop · row · rest

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pop — soda
  4. content — happy
  5. charge — a price
  6. drill — army training
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — the tool
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — the amount
  15. rest — a break
  16. charge — electricity
  17. key — the most important part
  18. row — to paddle
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pop — to visit
  23. charge — in control
  24. row — a line

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