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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: march · snap · roll · temple · hand · charge · present · pop

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. present — a gift
  3. charge — in control
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. present — the time now
  6. pop — music
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — in cards
  11. charge — electricity
  12. march — the month
  13. roll — a cake
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. march — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. present — there
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. roll — a list
  21. pop — soda
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. charge — a price
  24. snap — to click

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