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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — music
  4. charge — a price
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. tube — a container
  7. fall — the season
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spring — of water
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ball — a dance
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. tube — the underground

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