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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. charge — in control
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ground — the earth
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — a country
  12. ground — crushed
  13. root — the cause
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. land — to come down
  17. file — a document
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ground — a position
  20. charge — a price
  21. land — ground
  22. row — a line
  23. charge — electricity
  24. file — a tool

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