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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. file — a document
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. file — a tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. march — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. charge — a price
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rest — a break
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. key — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. bulb — for light
  23. charge — in control
  24. rest — what's left

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