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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mate — a friend
  3. field — farmland
  4. file — a tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. field — for sport
  7. file — a document
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bass — low music
  10. field — a subject
  11. charge — in control
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ball — a dance
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mate — a partner
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ball — a great time
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — a weight

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