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

Word bank: snap · lean · charge · dip · file · staff · kid · rest

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. file — a document
  3. rest — what's left
  4. staff — employees
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rest — a break
  7. charge — in control
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. charge — a price
  11. rest — what's left
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. charge — electricity
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — to sink
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lean — to bend
  19. file — a tool
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lean — thin
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. dip — a sauce

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