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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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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. firm — a company
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. firm — decided
  6. charge — a price
  7. pop — music
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pop — to visit
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — for digging
  12. snap — to click
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. march — music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. charge — in control
  20. firm — steady
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cap — a hat

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