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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. file — a document
  2. charge — a price
  3. file — a tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chip — for betting
  13. tube — the underground
  14. charge — in control
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. tube — a container
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. charge — electricity
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. date — the fruit
  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