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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spring — of water
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spring — the season
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — a trail
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pass — a permit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. file — a document
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spring — a coil
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. file — a tool
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. charge — a price
  24. bat — for baseball

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