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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. file — a tool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. drill — a practice
  5. key — the most important part
  6. charge — a price
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — low music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cue — for pool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. drill — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cue — a signal
  17. drill — army training
  18. bass — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. key — in music
  21. can — a tin
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. charge — in control

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