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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hand — in cards
  7. charge — a price
  8. hand — help
  9. file — a document
  10. present — the time now
  11. charge — in control
  12. file — a tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wax — to grow
  21. present — a gift
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. present — there
  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