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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mug — to rob
  3. charge — electricity
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bank — for money
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bank — for money
  10. march — the month
  11. mug — a face
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mug — a cup
  15. march — music
  16. race — the arms race
  17. roll — a list
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. charge — a price
  22. tear — from crying
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — on a roll

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