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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: fan · charge · race · chair · file · trunk · mate · rash

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. race — humankind
  7. charge — a price
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. charge — in control
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. charge — electricity
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mate — to breed
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rash — a series
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mate — a friend

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