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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. band — a music group
  5. cold — not warm
  6. charge — a price
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. file — a document
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. file — a tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. band — a ring
  18. charge — electricity
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pass — a permit
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bear — the animal

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