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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. charge — in control
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — finally
  9. net — for catching
  10. last — final
  11. charge — a price
  12. ball — a dance
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. last — to go on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. march — music
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. charge — electricity

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