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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a tool
  6. stock — shares
  7. chest — of your body
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — a box
  10. court — of a king
  11. chest — of your body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stock — goods
  16. snap — to click
  17. can — to be able to
  18. saw — the tool
  19. file — a document
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. charge — a price
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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