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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: track · hand · snap · charge · scale · march · cap · club

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. club — for golf
  5. track — a path
  6. charge — a price
  7. scale — in music
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. club — a group
  10. march — music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. charge — electricity
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cap — a hat
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. snap — to click
  22. hand — in cards
  23. charge — in control
  24. hand — help

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