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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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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: mate · march · charge · drill · can · swing · pit · wind

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mate — to breed
  4. march — the month
  5. charge — a price
  6. swing — to play on
  7. drill — army training
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pit — in a race
  11. march — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. pit — a hole
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mate — a partner
  24. swing — music

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