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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. craft — a skill
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — a lid
  9. season — in sport
  10. craft — boats
  11. charge — a price
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. file — a line of people
  15. shower — to wash
  16. charge — in control
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. file — a tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chair — a leader
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. shower — rain

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