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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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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: bat · firm · charge · track · bay · march · kid · squash

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. charge — a price
  3. track — to keep track
  4. charge — in control
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. squash — the sport
  7. firm — decided
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. track — a song
  12. march — the month
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. firm — steady
  15. track — a path
  16. squash — to crush
  17. march — the month
  18. firm — a company
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bat — the animal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. march — music
  24. kid — child

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