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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · mate · drill · charge · calf · field · capital · saw

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mate — to breed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — money
  6. charge — in control
  7. field — farmland
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. field — for sport
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. saw — the tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. drill — a practice

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