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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 120 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. file — a document
  3. spring — the season
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spring — of water
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cap — a hat
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cap — a lid
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kick — in football
  24. mug — a face

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