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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. charge — a price
  3. spell — magic
  4. charge — in control
  5. staff — a stick
  6. file — a tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. staff — employees
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ball — a great time
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spell — a short time
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bat — the animal
  18. charge — electricity
  19. staff — employees
  20. file — a document
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ball — a dance
  23. spell — letters
  24. branch — of a tree

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