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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: file · land · content · rock · lie · charge · clip · jam

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. file — a document
  3. lie — to recline
  4. file — a tool
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. content — happy
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — a country
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. charge — in control
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. clip — for paper
  19. file — a line of people
  20. content — the amount
  21. rock — a stone
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. charge — a price
  24. rock — music

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