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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: kick · land · can · mouse · rush · march · charge · snap

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. can — to be able to
  4. snap — to click
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. march — the month
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. charge — a price
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. land — a country
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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