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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.

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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: roll · fall · pop · kid · race · jam · bay · charge

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. fall — the season
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pop — music
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pop — soda
  12. fall — to drop
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. race — a contest
  18. kid — child
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. race — humankind
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. fall — to drop
  24. race — the arms race

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