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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: clip · bay · spell · charge · ground · file · bore · dip

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. ground — crushed
  3. clip — a video
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a tool
  7. charge — electricity
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bore — to tire
  12. charge — in control
  13. spell — a short time
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bore — to drill
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. file — a document
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. charge — a price
  24. file — a line of people

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