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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. swing — in golf
  3. charge — electricity
  4. swing — music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. charge — a price
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bore — to tire
  10. charge — in control
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. file — a tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. clip — a video
  16. swing — to play on
  17. clip — for paper
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. file — a document
  22. board — to get on
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chip — to eat

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