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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. file — a document
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ground — a position
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. file — a line of people
  8. charge — a price
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. content — happy
  18. swing — in golf
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. swing — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tube — the underground
  23. content — the amount
  24. file — a tool

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