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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pop — soda
  3. charge — in control
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pop — to visit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pop — music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. sharp — clever
  12. file — a line of people
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. charge — electricity
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mark — a grade
  21. roll — a list
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. charge — a price

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