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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · last · cell · file · rest · mouse · rock · charge

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. charge — electricity
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. file — a tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. last — finally
  7. file — a document
  8. cell — a phone
  9. charge — in control
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. last — final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. last — to go on
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. charge — a price
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rock — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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