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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a line of people
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. charge — in control
  7. pop — music
  8. scale — in music
  9. file — a document
  10. pop — to visit
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spring — the season
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pop — soda
  15. hand — help
  16. file — a tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hand — part of the body

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