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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. net — in sport
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. charge — a price
  5. file — a document
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — a series
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a tool
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pound — a weight
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — hasty
  21. net — after costs
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chip — in a computer

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