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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.

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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rest — what's left
  3. drill — a practice
  4. march — the month
  5. vault — a safe
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rest — a break
  8. drill — army training
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. charge — in control
  11. march — the month
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. charge — a price

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