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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · cell · charge · present · pit · file

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cell — in biology
  3. present — there
  4. cell — a phone
  5. present — the time now
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. file — a tool
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. charge — in control
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. present — a gift
  17. file — a document
  18. 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