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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · march · court · charge · deal · file · wake · content

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. file — a document
  4. court — for sport
  5. content — happy
  6. ground — the earth
  7. charge — a price
  8. deal — to handle
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — music
  13. ground — a position
  14. court — of a king
  15. file — a tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. charge — in control
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ground — crushed
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. file — a line of people
  23. court — of law
  24. charge — electricity

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