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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cue — for pool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. charge — in control
  7. cue — a hint
  8. file — a line of people
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cue — a signal
  13. file — a document
  14. mate — to breed
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — the season
  23. file — a tool
  24. charge — electricity

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