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

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. march — the month
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cold — an illness
  7. charge — a price
  8. kick — in football
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mate — a friend
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. charge — in control
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cold — the Cold War

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