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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: scale · ball · charge · pit · rock · wind · land · can

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. charge — a price
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. scale — in music
  5. pit — in a race
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a great time
  8. charge — electricity
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rock — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. charge — in control
  15. land — ground
  16. ball — a dance
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rock — a stone
  20. can — to be able to
  21. land — a country
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pit — a hole
  24. can — a tin

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