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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. charge — a price
  4. cold — an illness
  5. file — a line of people
  6. current — electric
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. net — for catching
  14. current — of water
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. charge — in control
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. net — after costs
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. file — a tool
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. file — a document

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