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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. march — music
  3. charge — in control
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — the underground
  7. charge — electricity
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — a container
  15. row — a line
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. charge — a price
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — the month
  24. row — to paddle

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