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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. file — a document
  3. net — in sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. charge — electricity
  7. land — a country
  8. charge — in control
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. file — a tool
  12. charge — a price
  13. land — ground
  14. spring — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — magic
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spring — of water
  20. file — a line of people
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — humankind
  23. net — after costs
  24. spell — a short time

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