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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pop — soda
  3. charge — in control
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. pop — music
  7. file — a document
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ground — the earth
  12. charge — a price
  13. last — to go on
  14. march — music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cue — for pool
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. charge — electricity

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