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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: bowl · charge · firm · fan · march · net · chest · roll

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. firm — decided
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — for catching
  7. roll — a cake
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. net — in sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. charge — electricity
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. chest — of your body
  18. firm — steady
  19. chest — a box
  20. charge — a price
  21. firm — a company
  22. roll — a list
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. march — 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