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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bass — low music
  5. file — a document
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spring — a coil
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. file — a tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. track — a path
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. file — a line of people
  20. track — a song
  21. vault — a safe
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — a price

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