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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.

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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. charge — in control
  4. roll — a list
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. shower — rain
  9. charge — electricity
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. charge — a price
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. branch — a division
  17. toast — bread
  18. land — to come down
  19. file — a line of people
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. date — the fruit

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