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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mine — for digging
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. charge — in control
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. file — a document
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. charge — a price
  23. file — a tool
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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