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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. charge — a price
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spell — magic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. march — the month
  8. spell — letters
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — a short time
  17. charge — in control
  18. march — the month
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. march — music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. racket — for tennis

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