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

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. perch — the fish
  3. charge — electricity
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. file — a document
  9. stock — shares
  10. bound — certain
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — ground
  14. fall — the season
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fall — to drop
  17. land — a country
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bound — obliged
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stock — goods
  24. pass — a permit

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