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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: ball · charge · march · stick · lash · kid · land · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. march — music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. charge — in control
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kid — child
  7. charge — electricity
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. charge — a price
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. land — a country
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. march — the month
  22. land — to come down
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. land — ground

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