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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 120 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 · object · land · game · mate · wound · perch · charge

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — a partner
  3. file — a tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — to come down
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wound — an injury
  8. charge — in control
  9. land — a country
  10. perch — the fish
  11. game — wild animals
  12. object — an aim
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mate — to breed
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. charge — a price
  17. file — a document
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — a match
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mate — a friend

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