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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: march · land · fork · rest · racket · present · charge · fan

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — the month
  6. rest — a break
  7. charge — in control
  8. present — there
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. march — the month
  11. present — a gift
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. march — music
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — the time now
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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