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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · charge · scale · tube · cell · net · straw · march

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. march — the month
  4. tube — the underground
  5. charge — in control
  6. march — music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. firm — a company
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. scale — in music
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. charge — electricity
  15. net — in sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — size or range
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. firm — decided
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tube — a container
  23. firm — steady
  24. charge — a price

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