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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 · hand · file · rash · ball · pop · charge · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ball — a dance
  3. file — a document
  4. craft — a skill
  5. march — music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — music
  9. file — a tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — to visit
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. march — the month
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — help
  19. charge — in control
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. charge — electricity
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. charge — a price

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