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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. spell — magic
  5. charge — in control
  6. pop — to visit
  7. file — a line of people
  8. charge — a price
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. file — a document
  15. lean — thin
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. file — a tool
  24. spell — letters

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