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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. charge — electricity
  3. file — a document
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a line of people
  7. charge — in control
  8. rule — a law
  9. net — after costs
  10. charge — a price
  11. game — a match
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. pop — soda
  16. march — the month
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rule — government
  19. pop — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. file — a tool

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