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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 · suit · temple · rush · last · file · cold · charge

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. file — a tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. suit — in cards
  7. drill — army training
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rush — hurry
  12. charge — a price
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. file — a document
  17. charge — electricity
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — a practice
  20. suit — clothes
  21. last — to go on
  22. file — a line of people
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. cold — an illness

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