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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. date — the fruit
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. can — a tin
  8. key — for a lock
  9. charge — in control
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wound — an injury
  13. charge — a price
  14. key — the most important part
  15. march — the month
  16. key — in music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. march — the month

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