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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 · lean · date · pop · hand · charge · vault · ball

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. march — the month
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. vault — a safe
  5. hand — help
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pop — soda
  14. date — the fruit
  15. march — music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pop — music
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. charge — in control

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