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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. last — finally
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bulb — for light
  5. file — a document
  6. pound — a weight
  7. last — to go on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. file — a tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. charge — in control
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — final
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cue — a hint
  20. charge — a price
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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