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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. charge — a price
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cell — a phone
  5. file — a document
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. snap — to click
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rash — a series
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — in control
  18. lie — to recline
  19. ground — the earth
  20. band — a ring
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. band — a music group
  24. ground — a position

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