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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: fork · pit · shower · charge · drill · rush · bay · nail

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. charge — in control
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. charge — a price
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. charge — electricity
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. drill — army training
  20. shower — rain
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — to wash
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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