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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. 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. charge — in control
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — in sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. drill — a practice
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. march — music
  17. charge — a price
  18. tube — the underground
  19. charge — electricity
  20. tube — a container
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pop — soda
  23. swing — to play on
  24. 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