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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mug — a face
  4. bound — certain
  5. file — a tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. file — a document
  8. mug — to rob
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — the fish
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fine — all right
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — a cup
  19. charge — in control
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a music group
  22. charge — a price
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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