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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 116 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: club · mark · fine · kid · charge · wind · drill · squash

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. kid — to tease
  3. squash — the sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. club — for dancing
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — child
  12. drill — a practice
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. drill — army training
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. charge — a price
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wind — moving air

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