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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.

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: ball · fine · object · pitcher · hand · wind · charge · march

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. object — to protest
  6. charge — electricity
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ball — a great time
  12. charge — a price
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. march — music
  16. object — a thing
  17. charge — in control
  18. march — the month
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a dance
  23. object — an aim
  24. wind — moving air

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