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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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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: chip · charge · file · cabinet · court · snap · bark · chest

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. court — of law
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. file — a line of people
  10. snap — to click
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. court — of a king
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chest — a box
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — for sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bark — to shout
  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