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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 · tube · dip · march · last · game · racket · patient

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. charge — a price
  4. march — music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to sink
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. charge — in control
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tube — a container
  17. last — to go on
  18. tube — the underground
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. charge — electricity

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