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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bowl · rash · lean · charge · file · bat · march · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. file — a document
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rash — a series
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. charge — in control
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. file — a tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. lean — thin
  24. rash — on the skin

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