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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: pass · march · racket · net · mark · charge · shower · content

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. march — the month
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — rain
  7. charge — electricity
  8. content — happy
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. charge — in control
  12. march — music
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. net — after costs
  17. march — the month
  18. charge — a price
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mark — a grade
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pass — a permit

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