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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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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: leaves · charge · chip · shower · pit · hand · pitcher · file

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hand — in cards
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pit — in a race
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — in control
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chip — to eat
  17. charge — a price
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. shower — rain
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — for betting
  22. charge — electricity
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. shower — to wash

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