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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: chair · staff · charge · game · ruler · fork · file · wake

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. file — a document
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fork — in a road
  5. staff — employees
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. wake — a trail
  22. file — a tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. charge — a price

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