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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 · chip · hand · charge · cabinet · pitcher · cap · bark

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cap — of ice
  5. charge — in control
  6. file — a document
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a line of people
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — help
  16. file — a tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bark — to shout
  24. charge — a price

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