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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 116 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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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: charge · file · mug · mate · bat · rule · bulb · bore

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. charge — a price
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rule — a law
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rule — government
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. charge — in control
  24. bulb — of a plant

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