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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: pop · charge · march · ball · can · snap · mouse · land

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pop — soda
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pop — to visit
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. march — the month
  10. charge — a price
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. land — a country
  15. pop — music
  16. ball — a great time
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. can — a tin
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. march — the month
  21. can — a tin
  22. charge — electricity
  23. march — music
  24. ball — a dance

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