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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. file — a document
  3. charge — in control
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. charge — a price
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. club — for golf
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — for dancing
  12. file — a tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — a trail
  20. club — a group
  21. chest — a box
  22. charge — electricity
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chest — of your body

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