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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · court · drill · fan · spell · pitcher · deal · charge

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. can — to be able to
  3. spell — a short time
  4. drill — army training
  5. court — for sport
  6. drill — a practice
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of law
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. drill — the tool
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. charge — in control
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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