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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. charge — in control
  3. file — a document
  4. band — a ring
  5. key — for a lock
  6. charge — a price
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — for sport
  9. file — a tool
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a line of people
  13. charge — electricity
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. key — in music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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