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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.

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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: charge · deal · court · file · stand · pass · rest · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. clip — to cut
  4. charge — a price
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a tool
  9. pass — a permit
  10. file — a document
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stand — to bear
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. charge — in control
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rest — a break
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. court — for sport
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. court — of law
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. court — of a king

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