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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. game — wild animals
  6. plane — a tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. can — a tin
  10. drill — the tool
  11. game — a match
  12. can — a tin
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pitch — completely
  15. charge — a price
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. charge — in control
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. drill — army training
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — a practice

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