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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 116 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chip — to eat
  4. charge — in control
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. file — a document
  8. tube — the underground
  9. content — the amount
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. charge — a price
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. clip — a video
  19. file — a tool
  20. content — happy
  21. file — a line of people
  22. tube — a container
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. charge — electricity

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