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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: wake · drill · charge · dip · race · kid · date · mine

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. dip — to sink
  3. kid — child
  4. charge — electricity
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. race — the arms race
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. drill — army training
  12. kid — to tease
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. charge — a price
  16. race — humankind
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wake — a trail
  19. race — a contest
  20. charge — in control
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — belonging to me

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