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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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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: snap · charge · roll · march · row · cap · rule · fall

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rule — government
  5. cap — a lid
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. rule — a law
  9. row — to paddle
  10. march — the month
  11. snap — to click
  12. march — music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — to drop
  18. roll — a list
  19. march — the month
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. row — a line
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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