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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: kick · mug · hand · scale · last · march · bear · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kick — in football
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. charge — a price
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. march — the month
  16. charge — in control
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — final
  22. hand — in cards
  23. scale — in music
  24. hand — help

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