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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 · charge · bore · fall · roll · bowl · pass · kid

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. roll — a list
  7. charge — in control
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to drill
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. march — the month
  19. charge — electricity
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. kid — child

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