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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rash — hasty
  4. charge — electricity
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rash — a series
  7. file — a document
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. spell — magic
  12. charge — in control
  13. spell — a short time
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. charge — a price
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mate — to breed
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. spell — letters

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