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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. scale — size or range
  7. land — a country
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mine — for digging
  20. file — a tool
  21. charge — a price
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bark — of a tree

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