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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
468
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: content · game · march · kick · last · prune · pass · charge

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. content — happy
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. last — final
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. charge — a price
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. game — a match
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — a permit
  16. march — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. charge — electricity
  21. content — the amount
  22. march — the month
  23. last — finally
  24. kick — in football

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