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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. charge — a price
  4. spell — letters
  5. charge — in control
  6. spell — magic
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mate — to breed
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spell — a short time
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mate — a friend
  13. prune — to trim
  14. file — a document
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mate — a partner
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. key — in music
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. key — the most important part

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