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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. march — the month
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. march — music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — magic
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — a short time
  9. charge — in control
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. charge — a price
  12. net — after costs
  13. content — happy
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pass — a permit
  17. net — for catching
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — letters
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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