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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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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: drill · march · date · charge · shower · roll · key · fall

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — in music
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — rain
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fall — the season
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. charge — in control
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. shower — to wash
  12. charge — a price
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. march — the month
  15. key — the most important part
  16. roll — a cake
  17. date — the fruit
  18. drill — a practice
  19. roll — a list
  20. drill — army training
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fall — to drop
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. march — the month

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