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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — a short time
  5. scale — in music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mug — a face
  9. charge — a price
  10. file — a line of people
  11. scale — size or range
  12. club — for golf
  13. charge — in control
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. file — a tool
  16. club — a group
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a document
  19. spell — letters
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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