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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. charge — in control
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. file — a document
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. lean — thin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. charge — electricity
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. charge — a price
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. chip — to eat
  21. fine — all right
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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