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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wake — a trail
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spring — the season
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. present — there
  11. spell — letters
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. charge — in control
  15. spring — a coil
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spring — of water
  22. file — a document
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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