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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. file — a tool
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. board — a committee
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. board — to get on
  8. file — a line of people
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chip — to eat
  11. file — a document
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mug — a face
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. charge — a price
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — to shout
  22. charge — in control
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cap — a lid

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