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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: object · tube · board · race · cold · charge · rule · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. file — a document
  2. object — an aim
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. race — humankind
  5. rule — a law
  6. cold — not warm
  7. tube — a container
  8. object — to protest
  9. board — to get on
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. charge — electricity
  12. race — the arms race
  13. file — a tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. object — a thing
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rule — government
  19. tube — the underground
  20. charge — in control
  21. race — a contest
  22. charge — a price
  23. board — a committee
  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