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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. charge — in control
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a line of people
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a document
  10. ball — a dance
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bat — the animal
  13. charge — a price
  14. file — a tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — in an idiom

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