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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 116 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: kick · file · season · deal · charge · clip · mine · cell

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kick — in football
  5. clip — a video
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. charge — a price
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mine — for digging
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cell — in biology
  19. clip — to cut
  20. file — a tool
  21. cell — a phone
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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