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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fall — the season
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — electricity
  11. file — a tool
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — magic
  15. charge — in control
  16. staff — employees
  17. charge — a price
  18. file — a line of people
  19. staff — employees
  20. file — a document
  21. scale — in music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — a sauce

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