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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: temple · kick · mug · file · chair · vault · charge · clip

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. clip — a video
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. charge — in control
  7. vault — a safe
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. file — a tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. clip — for paper
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mug — to rob
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kick — in football
  23. file — a document
  24. mug — a cup

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