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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mate — a friend
  4. court — of law
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mug — a face
  7. court — for sport
  8. bass — the fish
  9. charge — a price
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rash — a series
  12. court — of a king
  13. foot — a measure
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rash — hasty
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. mate — a partner

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