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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: trunk · jam · charge · firm · pop · roll · date · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. firm — decided
  3. last — finally
  4. charge — a price
  5. pop — music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — soda
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. firm — a company
  10. date — the fruit
  11. firm — steady
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pop — to visit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. last — to go on
  17. charge — electricity
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. charge — in control

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