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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. charge — a price
  3. spring — of water
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ball — a great time
  6. charge — in control
  7. suit — clothes
  8. spring — the season
  9. wound — an injury
  10. suit — to fit
  11. file — a document
  12. rest — a break
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. ball — a dance
  17. charge — electricity
  18. file — a tool
  19. suit — in cards
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ground — crushed

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