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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 120 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. file — a document
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — electricity
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — all right
  10. track — to keep track
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fall — the season
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. root — of a plant
  16. charge — in control
  17. root — of a word
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a song
  21. root — the cause
  22. file — a tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fine — a penalty

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