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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rule — a law
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. charge — in control
  6. track — to keep track
  7. charge — a price
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rule — government
  10. charge — electricity
  11. fine — all right
  12. file — a document
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. band — a music group
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a ring
  21. fork — in a road
  22. track — a path
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fork — a garden 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