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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · file · land · key · charge · march · spell · rest

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. file — a tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. charge — in control
  7. land — ground
  8. spell — a short time
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — low music
  11. charge — a price
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rest — a break
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rest — what's left
  16. key — in music
  17. file — a document
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. land — to come down
  20. key — the most important part
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spell — letters
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — 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