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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rock — a stone
  7. file — a document
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. file — a tool
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. swing — in golf
  14. charge — in control
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. charge — a price
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — music
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. patient — a sick person

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