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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · trunk · pass · charge · spring · pit · chest · march

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. march — the month
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — the month
  5. charge — in control
  6. chest — of your body
  7. march — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. file — a document
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. charge — a price
  17. spring — of water
  18. chest — a box
  19. file — a tool
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pass — a permit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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