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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bulb — for light
  4. charge — electricity
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pop — soda
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a document
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pop — to visit
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spell — letters
  16. bulb — for light
  17. file — a line of people
  18. spell — magic
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. charge — a price
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — music

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