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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a line of people
  7. craft — boats
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. charge — in control
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. scale — in music
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. charge — a price
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. file — a tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. file — a document
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — size or range
  24. craft — a skill

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