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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: bowl · kid · rest · plane · charge · hand · march · jam

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hand — help
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. plane — a tool
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. march — music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kid — child
  20. rest — a break
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. charge — a price
  24. plane — in geometry

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