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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: rule · charge · file · kick · fine · fall · content · chip

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rule — government
  4. content — happy
  5. fine — all right
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rule — a law
  8. content — the amount
  9. file — a tool
  10. charge — a price
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chip — to eat
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fine — high quality
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. charge — in control
  24. fall — to drop

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