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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. file — a document
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. file — a tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. charge — in control
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cold — not warm
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cold — an illness
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. face — to point toward

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