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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. charge — a price
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rest — a break
  9. wound — an injury
  10. roll — a list
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. file — a document
  13. charge — in control
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a tool
  16. charge — electricity
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. tube — a container
  21. kid — to tease
  22. roll — a cake
  23. kid — child
  24. tube — in a tire

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