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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: charge · fan · last · perch · bank · ball · firm · snap

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. firm — steady
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a great time
  5. last — to go on
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — final
  13. bank — of a river
  14. firm — a company
  15. bank — for money
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. firm — decided
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bank — for money
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a round shape

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