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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. charge — in control
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pound — a weight
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. file — a document
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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