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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: mark · march · net · mine · tear · craft · charge · sharp

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. net — after costs
  4. craft — a skill
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — a grade
  8. tear — to rip
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. tear — from crying
  14. craft — boats
  15. net — in sport
  16. charge — in control
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. march — music
  20. charge — electricity
  21. mine — for digging
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mine — an explosive

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