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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · clip · kick · charge · mug · last · chest · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. clip — to cut
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — for paper
  7. charge — in control
  8. chest — of your body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kick — in football
  12. mug — a cup
  13. last — final
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — finally
  17. march — music
  18. file — a tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chest — a box
  23. last — to go on
  24. clip — a video

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