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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.

Make a worksheet

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: shower · board · mug · track · charge · last · drill · pitcher

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. last — final
  3. mug — a face
  4. board — a committee
  5. charge — electricity
  6. board — to get on
  7. last — finally
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. drill — army training
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — in control
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. last — to go on
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. charge — a price
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — to keep track
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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