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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. file — a tool
  3. pass — a permit
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — a price
  8. spell — a short time
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stock — shares
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mate — a friend
  13. charge — in control
  14. stock — goods
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. file — a document
  20. mate — to breed
  21. club — for golf
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spell — letters
  24. pass — to spend time

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