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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — in control
  3. present — there
  4. file — a document
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. present — the time now
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a tool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — to wash
  19. present — a gift
  20. shower — rain
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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