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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. file — a document
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. file — a tool
  7. roll — a cake
  8. spell — letters
  9. swing — in golf
  10. root — of a word
  11. spell — magic
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. swing — music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. roll — a list
  19. charge — in control
  20. spell — a short time
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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