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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ball — a dance
  3. charge — electricity
  4. file — a tool
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. charge — in control
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. file — a document
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. charge — a price
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fork — in a road

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