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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — a city
  4. charge — electricity
  5. face — part of the head
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. file — a document
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. file — a line of people
  13. charge — in control
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mark — a grade
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rash — a series
  22. mark — a trace
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rash — hasty

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