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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. charge — in control
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. file — a tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — for sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. charge — electricity
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. court — of a king
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. file — a document
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — a series
  17. staff — a stick
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. charge — a price
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. kick — in football

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