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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: tube · chest · shower · bowl · charge · clip · last · ruler

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. last — finally
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. clip — for paper
  6. last — final
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. shower — rain
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. last — to go on
  13. tube — a container
  14. charge — electricity
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. charge — a price
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. clip — a video
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chest — a box

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