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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. spring — of water
  3. tube — a container
  4. rule — a law
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — the season
  7. spell — letters
  8. swing — music
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. scale — in music
  13. rule — government
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. scale — size or range
  16. file — a document
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — in golf
  19. charge — in control
  20. file — a tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. spring — a coil
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tube — the underground

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