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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 124 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. charge — electricity
  3. degree — temperature
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — an amount
  6. charge — in control
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a tool
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. charge — a price
  14. roll — a cake
  15. degree — from a university
  16. roll — a list
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — to confront
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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