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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: season · charge · mate · vault · chip · file · club · wound

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. file — a tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. season — in sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mate — to breed
  8. chip — for betting
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — an injury
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mate — a partner
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — a price
  21. file — a document
  22. season — of the year
  23. club — a group
  24. charge — in control

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