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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: rule · saw · swing · fork · last · spell · march · charge

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. spell — letters
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. last — to go on
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. spell — magic
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. swing — to play on
  14. charge — a price
  15. swing — in golf
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. rule — government
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. rule — to rule out
  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