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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. charge — in control
  3. club — for dancing
  4. file — a document
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — music
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. dip — to sink
  13. spell — letters
  14. march — the month
  15. file — a tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. file — a line of people
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. club — a group
  24. race — the arms race

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