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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: bat · file · bay · spell · charge · kick · rash · fork

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. charge — a price
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. file — a document
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kick — in football
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. charge — in control
  21. rash — a series
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rash — on the skin

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