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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a document
  4. wind — moving air
  5. charge — a price
  6. file — a tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. charge — in control
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bank — of a river
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. bore — to drill
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bore — to tire
  24. season — to add flavour

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