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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: snap · can · pop · last · fork · charge · mate · stick

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pop — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — soda
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — a price
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. can — to be able to
  12. charge — in control
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — finally
  16. can — a tin
  17. mate — a partner
  18. snap — to click
  19. last — to go on
  20. charge — electricity
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pop — to visit

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