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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. spring — the season
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. firm — steady
  7. mate — a friend
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spring — of water
  17. craft — boats
  18. mine — for digging
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — a coil
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — in control
  23. march — music
  24. charge — electricity

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