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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: file · plane · tube · board · charge · present · coach · cold

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. file — a tool
  3. cold — not warm
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. board — to get on
  8. present — a gift
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. charge — a price
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. present — the time now
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. plane — a tool
  21. present — there
  22. cold — an illness
  23. charge — in control
  24. file — a document

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