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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. mate — to breed
  4. file — a document
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. charge — in control
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. spring — the season
  9. ball — a great time
  10. file — a line of people
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mug — a face
  13. mate — a friend
  14. charge — electricity
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mug — a cup
  21. court — of law
  22. spring — of water
  23. court — for sport
  24. charge — a price

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