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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — a coil
  4. charge — in control
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mug — a cup
  8. charge — a price
  9. file — a line of people
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. roll — a cake
  12. file — a tool
  13. mug — to rob
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. file — a document
  16. roll — a list
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. board — a committee
  20. spring — of water
  21. chip — to eat
  22. spring — the season
  23. chip — for betting
  24. board — to get on

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