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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — a price
  4. net — after costs
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. file — a tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. track — a song
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hand — help
  16. board — a committee
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. track — a path
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. net — for catching

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