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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · clip · wax · file · charge · content · pit · date

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. content — the amount
  4. charge — in control
  5. content — happy
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. charge — a price
  10. file — a tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — to grow
  21. file — a document
  22. pit — a hole
  23. clip — to cut
  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