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

Word bank: file · dip · leaves · track · key · charge · pop · tear

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pop — to visit
  6. charge — in control
  7. file — a tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. charge — electricity
  10. key — the most important part
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. track — a path
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a document
  19. track — to keep track
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. track — a song
  24. file — a line of people

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