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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a document
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. charge — electricity
  6. net — in sport
  7. fall — the season
  8. net — for catching
  9. lie — to recline
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bound — certain
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. file — a tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — after costs
  18. charge — in control
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fall — to drop

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