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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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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: cell · bay · chip · last · straw · nail · charge · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. chip — to eat
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. charge — a price
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. file — a document
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cell — in biology
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. file — a line of people
  21. last — final
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. nail — for a hammer

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