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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mate — a friend
  7. file — a document
  8. mate — a partner
  9. file — a line of people
  10. charge — in control
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. charge — electricity
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a tool
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. charge — a price

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