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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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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. charge — a price
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wake — a trail
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a document
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bound — obliged
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a line of people
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. charge — in control
  18. bound — tied together

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