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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rest — a break
  3. mate — a friend
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. file — a tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wind — moving air
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wind — moving air
  18. charge — in control
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a document
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. file — a line of people

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