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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. shower — to wash
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. present — a gift
  5. march — the month
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. toast — bread
  11. charge — in control
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. shower — rain
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. present — there
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — the time now
  22. can — a tin
  23. trunk — of a car
  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