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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: drill · staff · mark · spell · cell · chest · ruler · charge

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spell — letters
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chest — a box
  9. charge — electricity
  10. staff — employees
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. charge — a price
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. staff — employees
  15. mark — a grade
  16. charge — in control
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cell — a phone
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cell — in biology
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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