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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. charge — electricity
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — help
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. charge — a price
  11. root — of a word
  12. bass — low music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. root — of a plant
  17. kid — child
  18. march — music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — the cause
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. charge — in control
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bass — the fish

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