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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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Word bank
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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. charge — in control
  5. file — a tool
  6. press — to push
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kid — child
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. file — a document
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chair — a leader
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — to tease
  23. charge — a price
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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