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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 116 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. row — to paddle
  3. charge — a price
  4. deal — to handle
  5. file — a tool
  6. charge — electricity
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a document
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. file — a line of people
  12. charge — in control
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wake — a trail
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. row — a line
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — a match
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fan — a supporter

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