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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. sharp — clever
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — finally
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rock — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. charge — a price
  13. rush — hurry
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a document
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. charge — electricity
  18. file — a line of people
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rock — a stone
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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