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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. charge — a price
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — a face
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. present — the time now
  10. file — a tool
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. present — there
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. file — a document
  21. charge — electricity
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. charge — in control
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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