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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 116 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 · band · charge · racket · mine · nail · content · track

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. charge — a price
  6. band — a ring
  7. file — a line of people
  8. content — the amount
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. file — a document
  15. charge — electricity
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. track — a path
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a song
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. band — a music group
  23. charge — in control
  24. content — happy

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