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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 · spring · roll · current · charge · last · pitch · calf

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. last — final
  9. charge — a price
  10. pitch — completely
  11. spring — a coil
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. charge — electricity
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. spring — the season
  19. march — the month
  20. current — of water
  21. march — music
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. current — electric

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