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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — electricity
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a dance
  8. date — the fruit
  9. file — a document
  10. charge — a price
  11. march — music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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