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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: charge · game · roll · track · plane · pop · sharp · nail

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pop — to visit
  3. charge — in control
  4. track — to keep track
  5. sharp — clever
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a path
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. charge — a price
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. charge — electricity
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. roll — a list
  17. game — a match
  18. plane — a tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pop — soda
  23. track — a song
  24. pop — music

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