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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 120 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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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 · fine · foot · charge · snap · tear · present · cabinet

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. charge — a price
  2. fine — high quality
  3. march — the month
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. present — there
  9. fine — all right
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. present — a gift
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. present — the time now
  16. foot — a measure
  17. march — the month
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. charge — electricity
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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